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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24867793">After the Rain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/applecurry/pseuds/applecurry'>applecurry</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rain on Me [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Echo (Visual Novel 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Drunk Sex, Happy Ending, Horror Elements, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Leo/Kudzu, Mentions of Suicide Attempt, Post Flynn route, Self-Harm, Sexy time has begun, for real this time</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:21:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24867793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/applecurry/pseuds/applecurry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been two years since that fateful night. They're battered, but alive.</p><p>Flynn finds himself harnessing new feelings for a certain otter, and he must figure out what that means for the both of them.</p><p>However, something lurks beneath the surface. Escaping Echo might be harder than he thought.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chase Hunter/Flynn Moore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rain on Me [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799302</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wasn't planning on continuing that one-shot but it turns out I'm still kind of in my feelings about these two.<br/>I have some Ideas planned out for this fic but I kinda just wrote this for fun so who knows if I'll even continue it. Still! I hope you enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flynn was exhausted. He was rarely not exhausted, these days. They say that’s a side effect of growing older but Flynn suspects it has more to do with his incredibly stimulating job of being a 9 to 5 pencil pusher in a local company’s finances department. Really, this wasn’t his first or second choice, but the job market in Pueblo didn’t leave him with a lot of options. Even if it did, he doesn’t exactly have a lot of marketable skills, and this is at least somewhat similar to his old job back at home. Didn’t stop it from being boring as fuck though.At least the day was almost over. He’d finished his workload with plenty of time to spare so for the past two hours he’d just been fiddling with his phone and occasionally checking social media. He can always count on Carl to send him dozens of memes that really aren’t very funny at all but he’s secretly grateful for anything to break up the monotony.</p><p><em>4:59:57... 4:59:58... 4:59:59.</em> Holy fuck, he’s almost free, he’s f-</p><p>“Joe wants to see you before you leave.” It was Lydia, the petite doe who worked in the cubicle next to his. He didn’t like Lydia. That wasn’t her fault, though. As a rule of thumb he didn’t like people he didn’t know and he wasn’t exactly dying to get chummy with the losers at this dead-end job. <em>What does that make me, then</em>.</p><p>Flynn rubbed his temple in frustration, trying to supress the migraine that he was without a doubt about to experience through sheer willpower. He failed. “What for?”</p><p>“Dunno.” She straightened her purse and headed towards the exit. “Have a good evening.” Those words were a hollow courtesy at this point, but he half-assedly waved at her all the same.</p><p>He stood in front of Joe’s office and let out a long sigh. Flynn did a good job, and he knew it, and no one in this company ever got a raise or a promotion, so Joe summoning him could only be for one thing. Oh, well. Might as well get it out of the way. He turned the door’s handle and walked in.</p><p>Joe’s office was as boring as the man. A metal desk, two filing cabinets on either side of the room, family pictures, ugly carpeting, the works. Joe himself was a shorthair feline with fur whose gray color probably had more to do with his age than genetics. He was staring straight at Flynn from behind his gold rimmed glasses, clearly he’d been waiting for him. “Ah, Mr. Moore! Take a seat, please.” He gestured towards the one chair in the office aside from his own. Flynn took it without a fuss.</p><p>“So, Flynn. Everything okay?” Oh, god.</p><p>“...Yes?”</p><p>Joe clasped his hands together, doing his best ‘concerned teacher’ impression. “Hm. Me and some of your coworkers have noticed that you’ve been spending a lot of time on your phone.”</p><p>“I’m not slacking off, if that’s what you’re implying.”</p><p>Joe chuckled. “Oh, of course not! Everyone in this company can attest to your dilligency. However...” He leaned forward in his seat. Here it comes. “I’m sure you recall that last time we spoke, we agreed that you’d make more of an effort to integrate yourself with the rest of your coworkers.” <em>I didn’t agree to anything, actually</em>.</p><p>“Sir, with all due respect,” That’s right, suck up to him, follow the script. “I just don’t see the point. My job is fairly self contained, my personal relationships with my department won’t affect my efficiency.”</p><p>Joe sighed, looking disappointed. “Listen, Flynn, I get that it can be difficult to acclimate, believe me, I do.” He reached out his hand to put it on Flynn’s shoulder. “But I really think you’d benefit from being a little friendlier. Like I said, though, I know it can be hard, so if you don’t trust your coworkers for whatever reason, well...” He moved his hand up to touch Flynn’s neck, rubbing his thumb against it in a circular motion. “My door is always open.”</p><p>
  <em><strong>This, too, is part of the script.</strong> </em>
</p><p>“...I’ll keep it in mind.”</p><p>Joe smiled at that. “Good. That will be all.” He finally retracted his hand. Flynn didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath.</p><p>Flynn awkwardly got up from his seat, and headed out into the night.</p><hr/><p>The pub was a quaint little hole in the wall creatively named “The Hole”. It was one of many new businesses around Pueblo’s cosmopolitan district, and as such it was mostly geared towards people between the ages of 21 and 35, which was reflected in its sleek, modern decorations and design sensibilities. Flynn couldn’t stand that kind of atmosphere, personally, but the drinks were good and, shockingly, acceptably priced, so he didn’t bitch too much.</p><p>Flynn made his way towards the bar and took his usual seat furthest to the left. The bartender smiled when he noticed Flynn and strode over to him as soon as he was done with the other customers. He was a young male jaguar named Mitch who had a soft spot for Flynn because of his generous tips and, admittedly, his very obvious crush on the lizard, which Flynn may or may not occassionally feed by flirting back.</p><p>“Hey Flynn! What are you having tonight?”</p><p>“Rum and coke, please.”</p><p>“Coming right up!”</p><p>The jaguar quickly prepared his drink and presented it to Flynn, who took it gratefully. Mitch was nice. He seemed to understand that nothing would ever happen between them, so the flirting was all in good fun. The blowjobs in the backroom were all just for fun, too.</p><p>Flynn’s drink was already nearly empty when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and then a familiar fox was sitting next to him. Jenna was wearing a leather jacket over her crop top, along with black pants and sandals with pumps. Flynn wasn’t one to gauge these things but he had to admit she looked... really good. Even beyond physical appearance, she exhuded an air of professionalism and maturity that no one else in their group could quite match.</p><p>“How was work today?”</p><p>He took a swig from his rum and coke. “Bad. But you knew that.”</p><p>“Joe giving you shit for not being a team player again?”</p><p>Flynn tapped his glass to make a <em>ding-ding-ding</em> sound. “Yup, with a side dish of sexual harassment.”</p><p>Jenna gaped at him. “Jesus christ. Did you tell HR?”</p><p>“So I can lose my job? I’m good.”</p><p>“Flynn.”</p><p>“Relax. He’s too much of a pussy to do anything beyond getting handsy and throwing innuendo that he thinks people are too stupid to pick up on. Can we talk about something else?”</p><p>“...Fine.” Jenna gave him a look that indicated that it was in fact not fine, but she’d drop the topic for now. “I really don’t know how you don’t go insane trapped in that office all day.” She said.</p><p>“It’s a job, that’s how. Unlike you and Chase, we don’t all get the luxury of making money off something we’re passionate about.”</p><p>"I don’t know what your boss is talking about, you’re so charming.” She called for Mitch and ordered a martini for herself. Flynn took the opportunity to refill his own drink.</p><p>The friendship between him and Jenna was something that still took him by surprise. During that spring break trip she’d made it very clear that she couldn’t stand him (Which, okay, fair, he had been kind of an asshole.) and as far as Flynn was concerned the feeling was mutual, but near-death experiences have a way to force you into finding common ground. Flynn and Jenna had a gift for reading people honed through a lifetime of observing from a distance, and they were both intimately acquainted with the loneliness born from living such a life. In simpler terms, he could count on Jenna to call him out on his bullshit and viceversa. At some point, they’d spontaneously adopted this little ritual of meeting up for drinks once or twice a week.</p><p>The bartender set Jenna’s drink in front of her and she took a modest sip from it. “Also, my job isn’t exactly a gas, you know.”</p><p>“No, I don’t know. I still don’t understand what you do for a living.”</p><p>“Because I’ve tried explaining it several times and you always look at me like I just grew a second head.” This was true. Experimental Psych sounded like something someone who wanted to be a therapist or a counselor would learn, but Jenna said she wasn’t interested in that, so instead she was some sort of contractor for various companies doing god knows what.</p><p>“Also, Chase hasn’t graduated, so it’s not like he’s making money off of journalism either.” Chase <em>could</em> have graduated by now, but after spring break he wasn’t exactly in shape to go back to school like nothing’d happened. He’d only started taking classes again 6 months ago, along with Carl.</p><p>“How is he, by the way?” Her tone turned serious.</p><p>“Why don’t you ask him?”</p><p>“I did, and he said he was fine, like he always does. You know he doesn’t trust us as much as you.”</p><p>Flynn wanted to dispute that, but part of him knew she was right. For whatever reason, Flynn was always the first one Chase turned to when he had one of his episodes. That didn’t stop Flynn from being mildly annoyed when people treated him like his caretaker. He tried not to hold it against them, though. Couldn’t blame them for being worried after... everything.</p><p>“He’s coping. He seems to be enjoying school just fine and every once in a while I can convince him to leave his campus and talk to people.” He took a sip from his drink. “Still can’t get him to go to a gay bar, though.”</p><p>“Knowing the shit you’re into? He probably just doesn’t want to catch gangrene from stepping on a rusty needle.” Jenna giggled in that incredibly obnoxious way of hers. Fucking foxes.</p><p>“I would have just taken him to that fucking drag show you told me about, get your mind out the gutter.”</p><p>Flynn wished that was the end of that particular topic. One look at Jenna’s expectant face told him that wasn’t the case. The lizard let out a long sigh. “He hasn’t tried anything serious since last time.”</p><p>“But he still burns himself?”</p><p>Flynn let the silence be his answer. Jenna absentmindedly caressed the base of her cocktail glass with the thumb of one of her manicured paws, and rested her chin on the other. “You really have to convince him to start seeing someone.”</p><p>“Because the last time he talked to a shrink went so well?”</p><p>“That was different. No therapist or medicine in the world was going to help him with what he had.”</p><p>“You can’t blame him for being wary after-“</p><p>Jenna interrupted him. “I’m not blaming him for anything. He has a problem, Flynn. If you keep trying to carry all of his burdens you’re both going to end up hurt.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s just rich coming from you. How about you take your own advice and stop babying TJ for a change.” Flynn knew he was being an ass, but he was tired and angry and he really couldn’t bring himself to care.</p><p>“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”</p><p>Flynn simply continued nursing his drink and saying nothing while Jenna glared daggers at him. After a while, she exasperatedly finished her martini in one fell swoop and quickly got up from her seat. “God, you can be such a fucking boy sometimes.” He didn’t turn to see her leave, but he could tell that’s what she was doing from the angry click clacking of her sandals, followed by the sound of the bar’s entrance opening and letting the cacophony of the outside world pour in. Before leaving, Jenna spoke again.</p><p>“Just... at least think about it, okay?” She didn’t wait for an answer. The door closed, and he was alone once more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter 2! This one has descriptions of self-harm so be careful.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flynn had one last stop to make before heading to his flat. Walking around the Pueblo University campus never failed to make him uncomfortable, or any sort of school-like place, really. As soon as he got his high school diploma he was all too happy to never set foot in a learning institution again, much to his aunt’s chagrin. He wasn’t dumb by any means, he just kind of hated it. Too much of a time and money investment for, quite frankly, not much reward. Then again, maybe he was just making excuses for his lack of passion and motivation. Ugh, Jenna must be rubbing off on him.</p><p>His weird hang-ups aside, the school looked nice enough, he guessed. Flynn didn’t have much of a frame of reference, but it did kind of make the Payton community college look like a shithole.</p><p>Already familiar with the campus layout, Flynn quickly found himself in front of Chase and Carl’s room. Even from the outside, he could hear loud hip-hop music and videogame noises. He knew Carl never bothered to lock the door, so he simply turned the knob and allowed himself in.</p><p>
  <em>The stench of smoke immediately flooded his senses. Beneath it, sweat, semen and... something else (Blood?).</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Flynn’s movements were clumsy and sluggish, as if he were underwater. He knew where this was, and yet he didn’t. The scenery was familiar but distorted, as if seen through a dirty window (Or perhaps a mirror?). A memory within a memory. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The place was empty except for himself and another presence. He noticed a muscular otter sitting at the bar, and once again he was filled with a paradoxical sense of nostalgia for something unrecognizable. Not quite forgotten, but lost all the same. The otter slowly turned his head towards Flynn, making a noise like nails scraping on blackboard. Flynn couldn’t see his face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>After an eternal moment, the otter finally opened his mouth and said </em>
</p><p>“You okay?”</p><p>Chase was looking at him from his spot laid across one of the room’s two beds, his feet propped up on Carl’s lap. They were playing some sort of shooter, judging by the controllers each of them were holding. Chase’s expression was a mixture of confusion and concern.</p><p>Flynn quickly wiped the stunned expression from his face. “Yeah. Being in this room just makes me feel like I’m going to get tinnitus.” He raised his voice so it could be heard through the music and the sound of virtual gunfire. “CARL. TURN THAT SHIT OFF.”</p><p>Carl jumped at that. Fuck’s sake, had he not noticed him coming in? The ram grabbed the nearby remote and pointed it at the most definitely not-campus-sanctioned sound system he’d set up. With the volume at a bearable level, he finally turned around to greet Flynn. “‘Sup, man! We uh, weren’t expecting you.”</p><p>“Your neighbors are gonna kill you one day if you keep making this much ruckus.”</p><p>Carl snorted. “‘Ruckus’? Pssht, whatever, grandma.” He shifted his focus back to the game.</p><p>Chase looked happy to see him, at least. He took a spare controller and held it out to Flynn. “Wanna join us? We’re one short of four. Dax is on comms.” He used his other paw to grasp the bottom of a laptop and turn it around to face Flynn, who was greeted by the blue salamander’s visage on the computer screen. “Hey, ex-roomie!”</p><p>Flynn waved awkwardly. “Uh, hi. Also, I can’t, I’m just here to drop this off.” Flynn lifted his hand, in which he was currently holding a tied up plastic bag containing a tupperware.</p><p>That got Carl’s attention. He paused the game and practically snatched the bag from Flynn’s hand, furiously unwrapping it like a kid on Christmas morning. “Ohoho! You’re a lifesaver, Flynn! You know they don’t let us order takeout since the last time they had to call the firefighters and I was starv...” He opened the tupperware and stared emptily at its contents. The ram likely hadn’t seen this much green in his life. “Hey, Flynn... what’s, uh,”</p><p>“Carrot and quinoa salad.” Flynn twirled his finger in the air. “Bon appetit.” Chase was holding a phone in his paws and failing to control his laughter, probably planning on sending Jenna a recording, the ass. “What the hell were you expecting? A burger? I’m not enabling you.”</p><p>Carl was busy poking some red, chunky bits in the salad with a plastic fork. “Well... At least it has meat.”</p><p>“That’s beetroot.” Flynn said.</p><p>Flynn heard a sound that sounded suspiciously like a sniffle and laid his hand on Chase’s shoulder. “Hey. Can I borrow you for a sec?” Flynn tried to keep his voice calm and even, to let the otter know he wasn’t in trouble (Even though he was).</p><p>Chase sat up straight. “Yeah, sure. I needed a smoke break anyway.” He addressed Carl. “I’ll be back in a bit.” Carl let himself fall backwards onto the bed and waved weakly at them.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah. Have fun or whatever.”</p><p>Flynn and Chase walked silently for a bit. The night was cool, but not cold enough to be uncomfortable, and the air was crisp and clean. The black sky was a bit ominous in contrast, however. Pueblo was fairly industrialized and populated, so the stars weren’t as easily seen as the ones in Echo. It was one of the few things Flynn missed about it, if he was being honest.</p><p>After a few minutes, they finally found a bench and plopped down onto it. Chase reached into his hoodie’s pocket and pulled out a box of cigarettes and a lighter.</p><p>Chase looked at him. “You want one?”</p><p>“Fuck, no.”</p><p>Chase shrugged and gently tapped the bottom of the box to make a cigarette come out before setting it between his lips.</p><p>“I almost wish you’d just smoke Carl’s pot instead. Probably wouldn’t kill you as fast.”</p><p>Chase smiled as he reached into his pocket for a lighter and struggled to get a flame going. “I’m sure Carl would like that. I prefer the nicotine, though.” Flynn got tired of Chase’s sad attempts to light his cigarette, so he cupped his hand in front of the lighter to stop the wind from putting out the flame. Chase’s smile widened when he finally got his smoke to light up. After taking a long drag and exhaling the smoke, he turned to look at the lizard.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>“Uh-huh.”</p><p>The silence dragged on. “So. How’s rooming with Carl. Has he corrupted your mind with weed and nerd shit yet.”</p><p>Chase chuckled with the cigarette still in his mouth, pufing one-two-three clouds of smoke. “Please, if anything I’m the one who’s a bad influence on him.” He rubbed at his wrists. “Carl is nice. He’s always been nice. He knows a thing or two about being depressed and having nightmares so that’s been, uh, helpful.”</p><p>“So you talk to him?”</p><p>Chase tried to act confused, but Flynn wasn’t falling for it. “I mean, we talk about lots of stuff, yeah. Kinda hard not to when you live with him.”</p><p>Flynn sighed deeply. “That’s a no, then.”</p><p>“I... I don’t-“ Chase yelped in surprise as Flynn quickly reached to grab his wrist and held it up, making Chase’s long sleeve fall down and revealing the pointillist art of cigarette burns that was the otter’s forearm. “Flynn, stop! Please!” Chase was struggling in his grip, but Flynn wasn’t letting up. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for: Three fresh band-aids on various spots</p><p>Flynn felt a flash of pain at the tip of his muzzle that finally forced him to let go, Chase had punched him. The otter was cradling his arm against his chest, looking betrayed. Flynn gently rubbed his tender nose. “God fucking dammit, Chase.” He wasn’t talking about the punch, which hadn’t broken his nose. Chase’s shitty otter arms hadn’t even drawn blood, in fact. “When did you get those?”</p><p>“...A week or so.” Chase said without looking at him.</p><p>“Fuck’s sake.” Flynn was furious now. Furious that Jenna was right, that after all this time Chase <em>still</em> didn’t trust them. That in true Chase fashion he’d rather keep everything bottled up and suffer in silence than tell them anything. Flynn told Chase as much.</p><p>That finally made the otter snap out of his reverie. “It’s not that I don’t trust you! You guys are my friends, but... well, that’s exactly why.”</p><p>“You won’t tell us shit because we’re your friends? You’re not making any fucking sense, you know that right?” Chase didn’t respond.</p><p>Flynn got up from the bench. He was done here. “Fine. Suit yourself.” He started walking away. “You’re gonna have to talk to someone eventually, I hope you realize that.” And like that, he was gone.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>That night, he had a familiar dream. He was drowning. He was desperately trying to reach the surface to get air into his lungs, but something held him down. He couldn’t see clearly through the water, so all he could see was the outline of a body with brown fur, and a red face staring at him from the surface.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The days passed uneventfully, and Flynn hadn’t heard a word from Chase. Chase could be almost as stubborn as the gila when he wanted to, so Flynn knew he’d most likely have to be the one to break the silence, but he wasn’t in any rush for the time being. Call it teaching him a lesson. He <em>was</em> worried, obviously, but he trusted Carl to stop him from doing anything too stupid. Flynn just needed to take his mind off things, which is how he’d found himself being convinced to attend this dumb charity thing by TJ and Jenna.</p><p>He didn’t know the details, just that it had something to do with “uplifting the local native population”, as Jenna had put it. The three of them and a group of about a dozen volunteers gathered at the Pueblo Plaza. According to Jenna, this location was ideal because of the high traffic of citizens visiting the nearby stores, and unlike a privately owned business like a mall, they didn’t have to ask permission to collect donations. Apparently, Jenna had already asked the owner of a local mall and been rejected due to ‘ideological differences’. Well, the term Jenna had used was “specieist piece of shit” but, eh, splitting hairs.</p><p>Their little group formed a circle around TJ while Jenna passed around stacks of paper and small metal boxes with a thin hole on top. TJ clasped his hands together and started cheerfully addressing them. “So! Remember the plan, guys: We’ll split up in randomly assigned pairs and go around asking for donations. If you get one, just write down their full name and number and put their money in your box. Simple! We’ll meet up here again in 4 hours, good luck!”</p><p>Pairs? Jenna didn’t say a damn thing about pairs. Oh, well, it should be fine as long as it’s not-</p><p>“Um... hi, partner!” TJ’s shrill voice assaulted him from behind. “Guess we’re paired up! What a coincidence... haha.” TJ was sneaking glances towards Jenna’s direction as he said this. Flynn turned his head to look at Jenna, who was staring at them. She turned around as soon as she noticed and, it had been too fast for Flynn to know for sure, but he thought he saw a sly smile gracing her lips. Great.</p><p>He felt a small furred paw insistently tugging at his sleeves (My god it’s like hanging out with a kindergartner). “So uh... let’s get going, yeah?”</p><p>“Yeah... sure.” Just grin and bear it. How hard could it be?</p><hr/><p>It was going terrible. It had been nearly an hour and they’d collected not one donation. Flynn was currently trying to convince a mother hen and her screaming crotchspawn, and she looked like she was about to call the cops on him. “Would You Like To Make A Donation To The Native Ancestry Association.” Each word tumbled clumsily out of his mouth, almost robotically.</p><p>TJ pulled him back by the arm before the hen could make a run for it. “Hey, could you maybe try being a little more... warm?”</p><p>“I’m cold-blooded.”</p><p>“Not what I- here, let me try.” He stepped in front of Flynn and started expertly buttering the hen up. By the end of it she’d deposited a $50 bill into TJ’s box, Flynn was... impressed. She’d also coquettishly snuck a scrap of paper with her digits on it into TJ’s shirt pocket which Flynn tried really, really fucking hard not to think about.</p><p>They repeated the process a few more times. By the time the 4 hours were almost up they’d amassed a considerable amount of money and the little box had a nice weight to it. Since they had some time to spare, TJ dragged him to a nearby boba stand and ordered drinks for the both of them, despite Flynn’s protests.</p><p>“How do you do that?”</p><p>“Hm? Do what?”</p><p>“Get people to suck up to you like that.”</p><p>“Well... I wouldn’t call it ‘sucking up’. If you’re nice to people, they’ll be nice to you back. Usually, anyway...”</p><p>“Uh-huh.”</p><p>“Maybe you could try it sometime.”</p><p>“Oh. I see what’s going on. Jenna staged an intervention.”</p><p>TJ looked alarmed. “No! Nothing like that! She just thought you could use some help.”</p><p>“Yeah? Pray tell, what would I possibly need help with?” He asked, as if he didn’t already know the answer.</p><p>“Well... Chase.” Ah, there it is. He hadn’t told Jenna any details about the incident with Chase, just that it had gone badly. Flynn should have known she wouldn’t just let it go. “She thought you could use a different point of view.”</p><p>Flynn started to get up from his seat. “Yeah, well, tell Jenna she should mind her own fucking business, oka-“ TJ grasped his arm to stop him from leaving, disturbing the still full cup of boba tea in Flynn’s hand and spilling some or its contents onto the concrete.</p><p>“Flynn, do you hate me?” The expression on TJ’s face was a serious one, a rare sight on him.</p><p>“The fuck? No.”</p><p>“Really? Cause you kinda act like you do. I could tell you weren’t thrilled about being alone with me.”</p><p>What the fuck is going on? “Wh- I mean, yeah, I’m not exactly best buds with you but I don’t... hate you.” He stammered, confused as to how exactly they’d gotten to this point.</p><p>TJ smiled warmly and let Flynn’s arm go. “I know. I know that, but... sometimes it’s hard to believe it myself, you know? That you all could forgive me after...” He didn’t finish, not that he needed to, Flynn understood what he was referring to.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>His sin.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Flynn rubbed his shoulder, seemingly having turned back to his usual, nervous self. He continued. “Maybe Chase feels the same way?”</p><p>Flynn felt his stomach drop. “So he’s, what, convinced we hate his guts? That’s ret- that’s dumb.” It’s complete nonsense. He didn’t hate Chase.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Ha. Ha. Ha.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Fynn was so distraught that he didn’t realize he’d say that last part out loud. “I’m not saying you hate him! Chase probably doesn’t think that, either, but like I said, knowing and believing it are different things. When someone feels like that, it’s like they’re backed into a corner.” He clutched his own shoulder hard, nearly tearing the fabric of his polo shirt. “They’d rather close themselves off than risk being abandoned.” TJ’s words were laced with regret</p><p>Aside from Leo, everyone from their group had, consciously or not, cluttered around Pueblo to be close to each other, TJ and Jenna had even done so despite undoubtedly having better opportunities elsewhere. The spring break at Echo had made it clear that each one of them had more baggage than they’d realized, but that had also brought them closer. He couldn’t believe that Chase couldn’t see that, but TJ’s little speech... made a lot of sense. He was speaking from personal experience, after all.</p><p>Finally, the gila sunk back into his seat in defeat. “I don’t remember you doing any of that shit.”</p><p>“You just weren’t around for it. The only difference between me and Chase is that I had Jenna helping me.”</p><p>Flynn sighed. “Jenna told you to say all that shit, then?”</p><p>TJ rubbed at the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Well... It’s not like she gave me a script or anything. I’ve just had this talk with her lots of times in the past.”</p><p>“Sounds like she should be the one to reach out, then. She clearly knows what she’s talking about better than us. And, it kills me to say this, definitely better than me.”</p><p>“She’s tried reaching out before, but there’s only so much she can do if Chase won’t open up to her.” TJ said sadly.</p><p>“What makes you think he’ll open up to me? If anything, I’m the one who has the most cause to want punt his ass into a different timezone.”</p><p>“Maybe that’s exactly why. You can be very... um... honest?”</p><p>“You can call me a whiny little bitch if you want, I won’t get offended.”</p><p>TJ cringed a little at the crude word, but he still managed a small smile. “My point is, he might be more likely to believe you.”</p><p>Flynns sighed and scratched his collarbone. “Alright, altar boy. I’ll see what I can do.” The gila looked fondly towards the distance, as if recalling a treasured memory. “Guess some things never change. We’re all a bunch of messed up queers and weirdos to the end.”</p><p>TJ smiled at him. “All the more reason to stick together.”</p><p>Flynn huffed in amusement. “Guess so.” He finally took the first sip of his drink. It was far too sweet.</p><hr/><p>When the group met back up, Jenna snuck up behind Flynn and playfully interlocked her arm with his. “Well? Had fun?”</p><p>Flynn pried his arm apart from Jenna’s with disdain. “You’re a cunt.” Then, a bit bashfully: “Thanks.”</p><p>“You’re very welcome.”</p><p>TJ caught up to them and nearly thrust the box he was holding into Jenna. “Jenna! Look how much we got!” The fox took it from TJ’s hands and carefully opened it to look at its contents. If this was a cartoon, Flynn was sure he would have seen dollar signs glittering in her eyes. She gracefully closed it and turned towards Flynn with that same wry smile she’d shown him earlier. “Look at that. Hope you learned a thing or two.”</p><p>“The fuck are you smiling at? For all you know I could have taken half of that money behind TJ’s back.” The lizard growled in surprise when Jenna reached up to his face to pinch the coarse, scaly skin of his cheek. “Oh, please. You’re an asshole, but not like that.” The surprise quickly turned into anger and indignance and the gila swattedJenna’s hand away as if it were an insistent bug. “Will you fuck off? I get enough sexual harrassment at work.”</p><p>TJ perked his ears up in surprise. “You what?”</p><p>“Uh.” Nice going, Flynn. Fucking idiot.</p><p>Jenna shot him a disapproving look and crossed her arms. “You know, Chase isn’t the only one who could benefit from opening up every once in a while.”</p><p>Flynn began to protest. “I-“</p><p>The fox raised her arms in surrender and interrupted him. “But it doesn’t have to be today, if you don’t want to.”</p><p>TJ stepped inbetween them to try to defuse the suddenly heavy atmosphere. “We were actually thinking about stopping at a nearby place to grab something to eat.” He was talking to Flynn. “Will you come?”</p><p>Flynn silently thanked for temporarily shifting attention away from that particular topic. “I’ll head home, actually. Gotta get up early for work and all that. ‘Ppreciate it though.”</p><p>“Any time.”</p><hr/><p>Flynn stepped out of the elevator and started walking towards his room. Their landlord had once again forgotten to change the lightbulbs in the hallway, so it was dark as a cave. Annoying, but he knew the path by memory by now, so he didn’t have any trouble locating his destination.</p><p>He groped around with his hands trying to find the texture of his room’s wooden door. When he found it and confirmed that he was in fact in front of his room, he reached into his pocket for the keys.</p><p>Flynn nearly dropped them when he heard heavy breathing right next to him. Was that one of the neighbors? But why on earth would they be standing here in the dark? He wanted to call out and ask them what the fuck they were doing, but a a primal part of his brain told him that revealing himself like that was a bad idea. He turned his head to try to make the source of the breathing out, which was of course pointless, the area was completely pitch black.</p><p>The breathing hadn’t stopped. Feeling more than a little alarmed and irrational from fear, he squinted his eyes and raised his palm to his temple to try to see more clearly, as he’d done so many times back in the arid climate of Echo. That was during daytime, though. The absurdity of what he’d just done would have been amusing in any other situation. Instead, all he could was stare at his hand and-</p><p>How can he see his hand in the dark?</p><p>As if on cue, the blackness surrounding him started pulsating, accompanied by the loud skittering noise of millions of moving parts, almost like...</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Spiders.</strong> </em>
</p><p>Truly terrified now and no longer caring about being found by the intruder, Flynn pulled out his phone and pointed the flashlight to the direction of the breathing. There was a figure hunched over sitting on the dirty linoleum floor. He maneuvered his phone to shine the beam of light at the stranger’s face. It was</p><p>“...Chase?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You may have noticed this fic’s rating has gone up to E from M ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flynn stepped out of the kitchen holding two steaming mugs filled with fresh coffee. His apartment was a modest thing consisting of a desk, a chair, a mini fridge, a twin sized bed, a closet, a dishwasher and the stove, all in the same general space, so calling it a ‘kitchen’ was a bit of a stretch. The only other room was the one leading to the bathroom, which speaking of, the gila made a mental note to clean it sometime this week. Theres a small mold colony living in his faucet and it’s gotten to the point where the regular cleaning products don’t do the trick anymore. He’ll have to get something stronger next time, add it to his shopping list-</p><p>He’s letting his mind wander, of course. Stalling. He’d agreed to approach Chase but he hadn’t expected it to happen <strong>right fucking now</strong>. He needed time to prepare, gather his thoughts. Figure out what the fuck he was going to tell him. For a moment Flynn suspected this was also somehow Jenna’s doing, but Chase denied it. That also happened to be the extent of what Chase had said since he invited him inside. That and a weak sounding ‘yes’ when he’d offered him coffee.</p><p>Flynn stood in the middle of the room and looked at Chase, who was currently sitting on his bed with his knees brought up to his chest. He looked like shit. His clothes and fur were dirty and disheveled and he’d been shivering when he found him outside (How long had he been waiting out there?). Seeing him like this sent a pang of pain to his heart that he’d much rather not examine the meaning of at this particular moment. </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Takes you back, doesn’t it?</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Flynn tried to ignore the eerie sense of deja vu. He cleared his throat to get Chase’s attention, who stopped picking at his own claws and looked up at the lizard. “Here.” Flynn handed him one of the mugs. “You better not spill it on my covers or you’ll be cleaning it with your tongue.”</p><p>Chase took it and smiled. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.” Goddammit, he walked into that one.</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Circles, only going in circles</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>“What took you so long?” The otter asked him.</p><p>Flynn shrugged. “Grinding coffee beans takes a while.” </p><p>“So get instant?”</p><p>“I prefer my coffee to taste like coffee and not like flavorless mud, thank you very fucking much.”</p><p>Chase made a non-committal hum and brought the mug up to his lips. “It’s not so bad.” He took a sip. “Just have to get used it.”</p><p>“I don’t settle.” Flynn crossed his arms. “You shouldn’t either.” The otter shot him a curious look.</p><p>Flynn leaned against the wall. “Alright muskshit, out with it. What are you doing here?”</p><p>Chase looked surprised. “Uh.” He clumsily reached into his hoodie’s pocket and brought out the container Flynn used to store the salad he’d made for him and Carl, its contents now empty. “I brought your tupperware.”</p><p>Flynn snatched it from Chase’s hands and looked it over once. “Cool.” Without breaking eye contact, he threw the tupperware over his shoulder. The metallic clang let him know it’d landed in the dishwasher. “What else?”</p><p>The smile vanished from the otter’s face. He looked to the side. “And I don’t want you to be mad at me anymore.”</p><p>“I’m not-“</p><p>“Yes you are, Flynn!” The otter exclaimed. “And you know what? You’re right to be. But I don’t want you giving me the cold shoulder anymore, so...”</p><p>Flynn let out a long sigh. Just remember what TJ said. “Okay. Yeah, I’m mad, alright? But only ‘cause I’m worried.” Flynn abandoned his mug in the nearby desk to sit next to Chase. The otter jumped a little at the sudden closeness. “It fucks me up seeing you hurt. And I ain’t saying it’s your fault, but it drives me insane when you won’t tell me anything even though you’re obviously not okay.”</p><p>Chase chuckled bitterly. “I did fuck you all up, didn’t I? That’s all I’m good for.”</p><p>“‘Cause of Sydney? We’ve been over this befo-“</p><p>“How can you be so nonchalant about it?” Chase was yelIing now. “And it wasn’t just that, you know? I fucked off to uni and left you all behind. Carl’s anxiety, Leo’s creepy bullshit, it all comes back to me.”</p><p>Flynn tried to contain the urge to slap him across the face. “So, what, you think not keeping in touch with your high school friends traumatized us all? People drift apart, Chase. I’m not gonna lie and say I didn’t resent you a little for that, but that was just because I was young and stupid and angry, not because you did anything wrong.” He kept his words level, letting the otter know exactly how he felt but without blowing up at him. “And about Sydney... Like I was saying, we’ve been over this. No one is holding that over you. Not TJ, and certainly not me.”</p><p>Chase looked at him quizzically. “How do you know what TJ thinks?”</p><p>“I saw him earlier today. He’s the one that convinced me to talk to you, which I would have done if you hadn’t been sitting outside my home like a vagrant.”</p><p>Chase still looked unconvinced. “Well, what about the others?”</p><p>Flynn shrugged. “Can’t speak for ‘em. Not that it matters. None of them gave a shit about Sydney, so I can’t imagine they’d be too torn up about it.”</p><p>Chase’s eyes widened. “How can you say-“</p><p>Flynn interrupted him. “It’s just what it is, okay? None of them knew him like I did, and that’s fine. Syd certainly didn’t make it easy to be his friend.” The lizard tried to ignore the pain in his heart before continuing. “Children are stupid assholes, but they’re not monsters. That goes for you as well.”</p><p>The silence dragged on. Flynn prayed to God or whatever passed for it these days that a single thing he was saying got through to Chase.</p><p>“Did you, uh. Did you burn yourself again this week?”</p><p>“Wh- No! I swear. Here, you can see by yourself if you don’t believe m-“ Chase started to roll up his sleeve bur Flynn stopped him by placing his hand on top of the otter’s.</p><p>“Whoa! It’s fine, I believe you, alright?” He hoped the words would offer Chase some comfort. He hadn’t moved his hand. </p><p>“Why are you so nice to me?” Chase finally said.</p><p>
  <em>The blood was seeping into the ceramic. Flynn stood over Chase’s unmoving form, two long, red streaks on both arms starting from the wrist and ending nearly at the elbow. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He pulled out his phone and started dialing but the screen was slippery from the sweat on his palms and the tears from his eyes and it wouldn’t recognize the FUCKING inputs. He hurriedly wiped the screen on his pants. Where the fuck was Carl??</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nine. <br/>One. <br/>One.<br/>Please. Please don’t take him away.</em>
</p><p>Chase continued. “I can barely stand to look at you sometimes because I feel like the guilt is going to eat me alive. I wish I could just disappear. You’d all be better off.” That bitter laugh again. “But I’m too much of a coward to be alone.” The otter was staring at his own reflection in the half empty coffee mug, lost in thought.</p><p>Flynn gently took the mug from Chase’s paws with his unoccupied hand and carefully deposited it on the floor. He used that same hand to hold Chase’s chin between his thumb and index finger and force the otter to look up at him. “You’re not alone.” Chase’s paw was warm under his own and had a soft texture, a far cry from Flynn’s rough, scaly skin and cold blood.</p><p>Chase was the one to make the first move. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, crashing his lips into Flynn’s. Flynn’s eyes opened as far as they could go. This was... not how he was expecting this night to go. On several different levels. And yet he couldn’t stop himself from returning the gesture, wrapping his arms around Chase and exploring the inside of the otter’s mouth with his long, prehensile tongue.</p><p>Flynn maneuvered both of their bodies to make them fall sideways onto the bed, so that they were facing each other. Chase’s crotch was so close to his own that he could feel the otter already getting hard. The otter’s eagerness turned out to be contagious, and Flynn felt his own dick beginning to poke out of his slit.</p><p>It wasn’t even their first time <em>with each other</em> but Chase was acting like it was prom night or some shit. The otter had reached under Flynn’s shirt to rub his paws all over the gila’s back muscles and carelessly scratching them with his claws. Not hard enough to draw blood, but it still stung. Oh well, still far from the roughest companion he’s ever had.</p><p>He wasn’t about to let Chase forget two could play at this game, though. Flynn snuck his hands into Chase’s pants and playfully squeezed his buttocks, interrupting their kiss and eliciting a surprised yelp from the otter. “H-Hey!”</p><p>Flynn rolled his eyes. “Oh, whatever, Mother Theresa. Don’t act like you don’t love having yer ass played with.”</p><p>Chase blushed furiously. His embarrassed expression was quickly replaced by one of defiance and he started muttering under his breath. “As if a mormon would know anything ab- Eep!” Flynn shut Chase up by teasing his hole with his long index finger, making the otter go stiff in surprise before becoming putty in Flynn’s hands.</p><p>“You’re... such... an ass.” Chase struggled to said over his loud panting. The otter’s tongue was lolling out and a small puddle of drool had gathered on Flynn’s covers. The lizard tried not to smile <em>too</em> hard at Chase’s ridiculous expression.</p><p>This felt... right. 2 years ago this would have felt like nothing short of betrayal, why had he changed his mind? Flynn knew he wanted this. Chase definitely wanted this. </p><p>But part of him hesitated. What was he so scared of?</p><p>He couldn’t continue that train of thought because Chase was kissing him again and suddenly he couldn’t think anymore, his ears were ringing and <strong><em>his tongue feels so soft against yours</em></strong> and goddammit STOP.</p><p>Flynn was hyperventilating as if he’d just ran a marathon. He was so distraught it took his brain a moment to realize that Chase’s lips were no longer glued to his. In fact, he couldn’t see him anymore. He was starting to panic before he heard a groan coming from below him and saw a stunned looking Chase sitting on the ground. Did Flynn push him off without realizing? Chase had knocked over the mug and the brown liquid had stained his cargo shorts. </p><p>Flynn wanted to apologize, to explain himself, even though he had no idea what exactly there was to explain or what had caused him to freak out like that, but the deep hurt in Chase’s eyes stopped him.</p><p>“I... I think you should go.” <em>I’m sorry</em> “I’ll see you later.” <em>It’s not your fault.</em></p><p>Chase opened and closed his mouth like a fish, completely flabbergasted. Flynn wondered what was going through his head. Probably something along the lines of ‘How did I fuck this up’. He could relate. </p><p>It didn’t matter now. Chase finally got up and stormed out of his room. As the otter crossed his vision, Flynn tried, really tried, not to notice the moisture gathering under Chase’s eyes.</p><p>He failed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’ve never written explicit nsfw stuff so be nice lol. Or don’t. All the same to me as long as you comment. You know what they say, no such thing as negative attention.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>brief nsfw scene in this chapter as well!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Now then.” Jenna proclaimed as she crossed her legs and interlaced her fingers. “Let’s start from the top.”</p>
<p>Flynn massaged his temples for maybe the 5th time that evening. “Guess it all started when I realized I wanted to kill my dad and have sex with my mom.”</p>
<p>Jenna was not amused. “I can’t help you if you don’t take this seriously, you know.”</p>
<p>Flynn took a hearty gulp from his drink and reveled in the burning sensation it left on his throat. “I don’t think you can help at all, actually.”</p>
<p>“Why call me, then?”</p>
<p>Flynn was seriously beginning to regret that decision now, but he had to tell *someone*. He didn’t think any of his other friends could offer useful advice, and he did appreciate and respect Jenna’s insight, even if he’d never admit it.</p>
<p>“You’re a good listener?”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh.” She swished her glass around, the lights of The Hole’s interior lighting catching on it and casting a kaleidoscope on the bar. “It’s safe to assume you and Chase haven’t made any attempts to discuss your little freak out, yes?”</p>
<p>Oh, yeah, that would go over great. <em>Sorry if I gave you the impression that the idea of kissing you is revolting, I just can’t tell if my feelings for you are genuine or if I’m being mind-raped by a ghost.</em> Perfect.</p>
<p>Not that he hadn’t considered telling someone about his supernatural predicament before, but somehow he always ended up talking himself out of it. It just didn’t seem like the correct decision.</p>
<p>“It’s complicated, okay?”</p>
<p>“I think it’s quite simple, actually.” She rested her cheek on one of her fists, as if trying to look disinterested. “Making out with Chase made you confront some feelings you’d rather kept buried, and now you’re losing your mind over it because you’re emotionally constipated. Am I close?”</p>
<p>“Y’know talking to people like this is the reason you can’t keep a boyfriend, right.”</p>
<p>Jenna ignored the, admittedly pretty childish, barb and continued talking. “So, in my mind, the only question is the nature of those feelings. Either you’ve realized you actually do resent him and want nothing to do with him, or...” She took a swig from her drink and let the sentence hang unfinished.</p>
<p>Flynn knew she was baiting him, but he didn’t care, and he was getting impatient. “Or fucking what?”</p>
<p>“You’re a grown boy.” She smirked. “Figure it out.”</p>
<p>Flynn laughed so loudly the other patrons turned to stare at him, and Mitch, the bartender, nearly dropped the order he was carrying. “Ooookay. That Yowie shit is frying your brain.”</p>
<p>“How so?”</p>
<p>“You think I want to, what, propose to him under the moonlight? Elopd together to goddamn Europe?”</p>
<p>“Why are you so mocking and dismissive of the idea of a committed relationship?” She asked. “What are you afraid of?”</p>
<p>“Who said anything about being afraid? There’s just nothing there, not in the way you think. I’ve fucked him before, for starters.”</p>
<p>“Yes, before. Things are different now.”</p>
<p>He thought about that. Hooking up with Chase during spring break had been easy, he hadn’t even had to think about it. He was a warm body, the vague affection he felt towards the otter due to the years of friendship was just a bonus, not much different from his fling with Leo in that regard. Something had definitely changed, though. Maybe it was at the motel two years ago, when he’d decided he couldn’t bring himself to hate Chase. Or maybe it was when Flynn rode the ambulance with him to the ER after he’d slashed his wrists, silent prayers escaping the gila’s lips the whole time. Whatever it was, something had shifted in their relationship. Flynn didn’t want Chase just for sex, but it wasn’t just friendship either. He wanted to defend him, to make sure he didn’t suffer, to see him safe and happy and by his side, and that... that was terrifying.</p>
<p>Jenna had a point. Flynn wasn’t crazy about the idea of the voices in his head narrating his sex life, but that wasn’t the only reason the events of that night left him so shaken. There was too much history between them, too much baggage, and pursuing anything with Chase beyond friendship could easily leave them scarred worse than they already were. He recalled the look of pain in the otter’s eyes before he’d left his apartment. God, he was such a dumbass.</p>
<p>Jenna observed him patiently as he meditated, not saying anything. Not that she needed to, she’d obviously figured this shit out way before him and was simply waiting for him to catch up.</p>
<p>Flynn called her out on it. “Somehow you don’t seem very surprised.”</p>
<p>Jenna smiled in satisfaction at the almost-admission. “Let’s just say I’ve developed a keen awereness due to my studies in psychology and as a result of growing up around a bunch of gay dudes and not from reading, as you say, ‘Yowie’.”</p>
<p>Flynn raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, point taken, I won’t insult your gay cartoons again.”</p>
<p>“Also, since you brought it up, we should definitely address those oedipal feelings of yours sometime. It hasn’t escaped my notice how you tend to favor mature men old enough to be your dad.”</p>
<p>“When you’re done being a horrid bitch, would you mind telling me what the fuck am I supposed to do now?”</p>
<p>“Well, apologizing to Chase would be a start...”</p>
<p>“...And?”</p>
<p>Jenna shrugged. “Flynn, I don’t have all the answers. The only one who knows if starting a romantic relationship with Chase is a good idea is you.”</p>
<p>Flynn sighed in frustration, Jenna’s response not entirely unexpected. “Easy for you to say, you’re not the one putting your friendship in jeopardy.”</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes. “You’re being dramatic. Chase is an adult, and so are you. There’s no reason you can’t remain amicable even if romance doesn’t work out.”</p>
<p>Flynn gave her a bitter chuckle and started muttering under his breath. “Oh, that is wrong on so many levels I don’t even know where to start.”</p>
<p>“Like I said, I can’t tell you if hooking up with Chase is the right move or not. But, if nothing else, I think you’d both benefit from an honest, mature conversation about your feelings and what you want.” She laid her hand on Flynn’s shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. “Worth a try, no?”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Flynn sat by himself in the bar. It was getting late, Jenna had already left and the rest of the patrons were slowly filing out, meaning the gila was left to gather the scattered pieces of his mind by himself.</p>
<p>He wanted to believe her, truly, that he and Chase were deserving of something resembling a normal relationship, they’d gone through so much shit, they at least deserved that much. But Flynn knew better than to believe in empty platitudes like that. The idea of justice and its restorative power was a god Flynn had worshipped in a previous life, and that naïveté almost costed him everything.</p>
<p>There were too many things Jenna didn’t understand. Too many variables, too many ways he could royally screw things up. He did want Chase to be happy, but he didn’t think so highly of himself to believe he was the one for him. He wasn’t Leo.</p>
<p>God, he felt so fucking alone. Is this how Leo felt? He couldn’t excuse the wolf’s behavior, but he could at least understand it a little better now.</p>
<p>Mitch served him his... fourth, fifth? drink of the night, lightly brushing his hand against Flynn’s as he did so. Flynn could tell the bartender was pent up, but he was too much of a sweetheart to try to initiate something with the gila when he was too drunk to say no.</p>
<p>Flynn had no such reservations. He reached across the bar to grab Mitch by the collar of his shirt. The jaguar protested for a second, until Flynn pointed out they were the only ones left in the stablishment. He didn’t look fully satisfied with that, but in the end he allowed himself to be led to the men’s bathroom.</p>
<p>The bathroom was small and cramped, almost like an elevator, but that suited him fine. Events flashed before his eyes, like a badly edited video. One second Flynn was standing on the bathroom making out with Mitch and the next he was on his knees, taking the jaguar’s full length in his mouth. Flynn felt like the whole room was rumbling. Mitch was being a bit too forceful, to be honest, but the alcohol dulled Flynn’s senses enough that he didn’t mind. He tried to focus on something else, like the deep red of the bathroom’s wallpaper. He heard the sound of an engine starting up and a mechanical whirring accompanying it.</p>
<p>Flynn was struggling to catch his breath and started to get lightheaded, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Mitch to stop. It was unmistakable now, the room was definitely moving. Was it an earthquake? It certainly didn’t feel like it, it felt like he was heading... downwards?</p>
<p>Flynn couldn’t ignore it anymore, he came up for air to warn Mitch but he was nowhere to be found, Flynn was completely alone. He could hear the ringing in his ears all too clearly now, but it was... different. Angrier, for one thing, but behind the usual sound of a tuning orchestra was something he couldn’t quite place. Alive, organic.</p>
<p>He turned around to where the door was and was met with smooth, solid wall, no door to be found. In trying to look for an alternative exit, he came face to face with the bathroom’s mirror. He thought it was a window at first, because instead of his own face, there was a muscular, white furred man he’d never seen before, looking back at Flynn. That’s not what alarmed him, though.</p>
<p>It was the thing behind him.</p>
<p>The last thing he heard was a rope snapping, and then he was falling.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The problematic boy is here! I think this is the longest chapter so far. Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Flynn opened his eyes.</p><p>The first thing he noticed was that it was dark. Dark enough that at first he couldn’t be sure if he’d truly woken up.</p><p>Was he even alive?</p><p>The second thing he noticed was that he was lying face up. The surface he’d been resting on was cold and he could feel what he assumed to be rocks digging into his back. Was he outside? But he couldn’t see the sky. Maybe some sort of cave?</p><p>What the fuck happened.</p><p>He felt a breeze that made him shiver. He sat up with a groan that echoed all around him. Maybe it really was a cave. He dug through his foggy head for some sort of clue. He’d been with Jenna, talking about Chase. Then... he got drunk, which explained <em>some</em> things.</p><p>Distantly, he heard the sound of running water.</p><p>He fooled around with Mitch for a bit. A shit idea for sure, but he couldn’t blame that one on the alcohol, unfortunately. Everything after that was too hard to make out. His final recollection was a feeling of deep loneliness, and then the sensation of falling down.</p><p>Down... Is that where he was? That didn’t exactly narrow it down. Maybe he got black out drunk and walked into an open manhole cover. He felt around his body for injuries, but couldn’t find any, and he wasn’t in any pain either. Did he really fall?</p><p>This didn’t make any goddamn sense.</p><p>Another breeze that made him shiver. Except this time it carried something else with it. A voice. Flynn didn’t know why, but it made him shiver for a completely different reason.</p><p>That irrational part of his mind told him that he had to get out of there. It wasn’t safe. He got up with some difficulty before a blinding light nearly knocked him back on his ass. He raised his arms to shield his eyes. He could see his surroundings now. A tube-like passage with rust red walls made out of a material he didn’t recognize. On the walls, dozens of people, or rather, their shadows. Disembodied silhouettes all walking in the same direction, like a religious procession. Out of millions of possible thoughts and responses, the one Flynn landed on was that they looked strangely sad. Maybe it was a funerary rite. They came in all shapes and sizes, a pair of bunny ears here, a lion’s long tufted tail there.</p><p>A lot of them were small enough to be children.</p><p>He stared ahead, in the direction they were all heading, but it was still too dark to see more than a few feet ahead of him. He saw them vanish deeper into the tunnel one by one, and from deep within the abyss, a pair of bright eyes, easily seen even through the darkness, staring right back at him.</p><hr/><p>He woke up.</p><p>He knew he’d had a nightmare because of the thumping of his heart resounding in his ears, but he couldn’t recall what it was. It’d been a while since he’d been able to remember his dreams with any clarity. That wasn’t the case for the malaise they left with, that part was always far too clear.</p><p>He sat up on the bed. He was expecting to find himself in his apartment, maybe get up and fix himself some coffee to tame his hangover. But he wasn’t hungover, for one thing. Also, this wasn’t his apartment.</p><p>He should have been more surprised by that little detail, waking up in an unfamiliar place, but he knew this place all too well. The bed. The musky scent. The fist shaped marks on the wall.</p><p>Maybe he was still dreaming.</p><p>Before he could try to make sense of why and how the fuck he was in Leo’s home, he noticed another thing. Under the stench of wolf there were hints of... lavender?</p><p>He looked around. There was in fact a potted lavender plant sitting on the nightstand. The whole room was a lot... greener than he remembered. On the desk, the windowsill and the floor he saw flowers, succulents, a few cacti and even one or two cherry tomato plants. They all looked well taken care of, too.</p><p>A voice boomed from outside his field of vision. “Hey, you’re up!”</p><p>Seeing him standing on the doorway like that felt like seeing a ghost, almost. He looked the same he always had. No one had heard a thing from Leo in two years, and it wasn’t from lack of trying, he’d seemingly changed his number and cut himself off out of his own free will. Over time they’d given up and a ghost was all he’d become to them, a memory.</p><p>He stood awkwardly with his arms crossed, clearly trying to keep distance. “So, ah. Didn’t expect to see you around here.” Flynn corrected himself, he did look different: he wasn’t wearing the anchor bracelet anymore.</p><p>“I could say the same thing.” Flynn said.</p><p>Leo blinked twice. “...I live here?”</p><p>“Not what I m-“ Flynn shook his head and tore the sheet covering his legs from him so that his feet could touch the floor and he was facing in the wolf’s direction. “Mind telling me what the fuck I’m doing here?”</p><p>Leo blinked again, looking sheepish. “I was hoping you’d know? I found you on the middle of the road, collapsed, so I brought you here.”</p><p>That sounded unlikely. had he really been that drunk? Flynn massaged his temples. “How long ago was that?”</p><p>“Well, it’s 10pm right now, so about 3 or 4 hours.”</p><p>That wasn’t unlikely, that was impossible. He remembered getting into the bar at 7, the times didn’t line up.</p><p>Then something ocurred to him. “...Say, what day is it?”</p><p>“Friday.”</p><p>Friday. It was fucking friday. Flynn doubled over and laughed at the absurdity of that.</p><p>Leo voiced his confusion. “You okay?”</p><p>Flynn contained the incoming mental breakdown to respond to the wolf. “No, Leo, I’m not fucking okay, because I appear to have a 2 day gap in my memory.” He buried his face in his hands. Why was this happening to him.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>They always return.</strong> </em>
</p><p>He felt a heavy hand gripping his shoulder, making him look up, coming face to face with the wolf. “I told you what I know.” He looked worried. Sad. “Can you return the favor?”</p><p>Flynn considered. He didn’t feel like he owed the wolf anything of the sort. But he supposed he was already so deep in shit he had nothing to lose. So he recounted the events of the past week, as well as an abridged version of the past two years.</p><p>Then, because he had nothing to lose, and more importantly, because he was at a loss and desperate for any kind of guidance on the matter, he told him about Chase. His depression, the self harm, the suicide attempt and the hilariously short-lived fling. Doing so made him feel cruel. Both for breaching Chase’s privacy and, surprisingly, for Leo’s sake. He didn’t exactly have a lot of love for the wolf, but he didn’t like the idea of potentially reopening old wounds.</p><p>On his part, Leo listened intently, without interrupting, his face indecipherable except for a small wince whenever he mentioned Chase. A gesture small enough to go undetected, if Flynn hadn’t specifically been looking for a reaction, knowing the wolf’s history with the otter.</p><p>Once he was done, Leo fidgeted for a second, as if trying to choose his words carefully. “You seem to have a lot on your plate.”</p><p>Flynn raised an eyebrow. “Really? That’s your reaction?”</p><p>Leo tilted his head. “What were you expecting, exactly?”</p><p>“I don’t fucking- Aren’t you pissed off at me?”</p><p>Leo’s eyes widened in confusion until he seemingly grasped the meaning of Flynn’s words. “Oh, okay, I get it. Would you rather I lost my shit at you?”</p><p>“I’m not in the mood for games, Leo.” Flynn spat the words out with disdain.</p><p>Leo raised his hands placatingly. “Whoa, look, I-“ He dropped his hands and let out an exhale. “I’m not... I don’t think you ‘stole’ him from me, if that’s what you’re implying. I’m not mad or upset or whatever.”</p><p>“Uh huh.”</p><p>“Is it really that hard to believe?” He scratched the back of his neck. Flynn’s eyes landed on Leo’s wrist and the absence of the bracelet. “I want him to be happy. That’s all. And it sounds like he’d be happy with you.”</p><p>Leo thinks that Chase would be happy with him. That’s... a lot to take in. It’s something, alright.</p><p>“Look, I know you think I’m an asshole. Shit, I think I’m an asshole. There’s no excuse for the way I acted.” Leo was looking more uncomfortable by the second. “I realize that now.“</p><p>He continued. “When you want to be with someone that bad and they don’t feel the same way... it’s like, happiness stops mattering, y’know? Theirs or your own. You’ll make yourself and everyone around you miserable if it means you can be together. It’s not a good way to be, Flynn. That’s why I stayed behind. I needed the distance.”</p><p>Flynn rolled Leo’s words around in his head. He saw the wolf’s sad eyes, and that feeling of pity came back.</p><p>“You didn’t have to disappear.” Flynn finally said.</p><p>Leo’s ears drooped. “I don’t know, Flynn. I don’t think you understand how bad I was two years ago. I couldn’t take that chance.”</p><p>Against all odds, Flynn decided he wanted to believe him. No, he did believe him. They werent so different, after all. Trying through fill a void in their lives with affection was something he understood all too well. He’s had enough anonymous hookups to attest to that. He thought back to what Leo said, about not caring about one’s own happiness. It’s self harm, really. Sure, that didn’t make it okay for Leo to project that hurt outwards, to his friends, but the feelings came from the same place. Cutting himself off from them wasn’t something he did because he was pissed at them. It wasn’t even a form of penance like something Chase or TJ would do. It’s just what he had to do to be able to heal.</p><p>“So... you’re doing better now?” Flynn asked awkwardly.</p><p>Leo snorted. “I mean, It still hurts. But... yeah, definitely doing better.” He offered Flynn a hesitant smile.</p><p>If Flynn didn’t feel like shit before for picking at the metaphorical bruise that was Leo and Chase’s relationship, he definitely did now. But he’d pushed this far, he might as well try to get something out of it.</p><p>“You really think it’s a good idea? Chase and I?” Christ, what was he, a teenage girl?</p><p>“Um.” He hesitated. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I always saw you as someone who didn’t give enough of a shit to keep a relationship afloat.”</p><p>“Okay. Fuck you, but point taken.”</p><p>“That’s the thing though. You clearly care. You care a great deal. If someone can get you to act like that, I think it’s worth something, y’know?”</p><p>Flynn stared at him, the wolf shrinking under his gaze. “Or something. I dunno, man, I’m not sure I’m your best bet for advice about shit like this.”</p><p>Flynn found himself reassuring Leo, for some reason. “No, it’s... it’s good advice.” A minute passed. “Thanks.”</p><p>Leo looked shocked, in the good way. Is this how everyone was going to react whenever he did something nice? Fuck.</p><p>While looking at Leo’s dopey smile, Flynn had an idea. “Why don’t you come to Pueblo?”</p><p>That wiped the smile right off his face. “I dunno if that’s a good idea...”</p><p>“It’s a big fucking place, Leo. And Chase is tiny. Shouldn’t be that hard to avoid him, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Flynn rested his elbows on his thighs and leaned a little forward, as if to accentuate his point. “Besides, no one deserves to rot alone this shithole.”</p><p>Leo started shifting his weight from foot to foot while glancing nervously to the side. “Who says I’m alone?”</p><p>“Huh? This place is a ghost town, who the fuck would-“</p><p>He noticed the clothes strewn around the room, some of which where far too small for the built wolf. Oh.</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Leo looked like he wanted to jump out of his skin. “Listen-“</p><p>Flynn didn’t let him finish. “So that’s what you meant when you said you were doing better. Wow. Good for you, man. Who’s the lucky guy?” He grinned. Flynn was enjoying this far too much.</p><p>Leo laid a palm on his own forehead as if checking for a fever. “Puta madre, siempre lo mismo con esta lagartija... It’s my neighbor, alright? He’s... nice.” He blushed. “He’s the one that got me into this botany shit.” He gestured to the plants around him.</p><p>“Yeah, I was wondering what was up with those. You never struck me as the green finger type.” Leo shot him a dirty look. Flynn quickly backtrack. “He sounds like a real catch, man. Offer still stands, though. Come along and bring your little boytoy if you want.”</p><p>“He’s NOT my-“ Leo looked just about ready to blow up, but he suddenly deflated. “...I’ll think about it.”</p><p>Leo leaned back, satisfied for the moment. He absentmindedly glanced at the window and saw how dark it was outside. “Hey, speaking of heading home,”</p><p>“Oh, I called Jenna right after I found you. She should be here soon. Uh...probably should have opened with that, huh.”</p><p>“Probably.”</p><p>“Well... you want something to eat?”</p><p>Oh yeah, he was starving. Hungry enough to accept whatever trash Leo had lying around. “Sure, yeah.”</p><p>Leo spun around to head to the kitchen, but he stopped at the last second. “I probably don’t have to say this, but I’ll kick your ass if you hurt him.”</p><p>Flynn rolled his eyes. Good ‘ol alpha male Leo. “Got it.” He muttered.</p><p>Leo seemed to realize what he said, so he tried to correct course. “Ey, don’t roll your eyes at me. I’ll kick his ass if he hurts you too, okay? No more hurting each other.”</p><p>Flynn couldn’t help chuckling at that. What a nice idea. If only it were that simple. “Sure, mom.”</p><p>Flynn couldn’t hear his response because he was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering. Before his brain could catch up to what was happening, Flynn felt himself being dragged through the window by several impossibly fast limbs. The last thing he heard as he was dragged through the cold ground was Leo crying out for him, and then everything went black.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We love a cliffhanger.<br/>Disclaimer: I don’t know how long the drive from Pueblo to Echo actually takes and I was too lazy to double check. Let’s just blame it on supernatural geography.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He gasped.</p><p>His neck was killing him. He’d fallen asleep sitting up with his head resting against the crook of his arm, like he’d done so many times in high school to get some rest during especially boring classes.</p><p>Where-</p><p>A dry chuckle coming from his right. “You good? Thought I’d lost you for a sec.”</p><p>It was his otter. The other one (what?). The one he’d lost (that doesn’t narrow it down.)</p><p>Flynn realized where he was. This place again. The place that was the Smoke Room but at the same time, wasn’t. He was in front of the counter, his(?) otter sitting next to him.</p><p>“Y’know, I almost thought you wouldn’t come. It’s been so long.” He playfully nudged Flynn’s thigh with his knee. “Should have known you couldn’t get enough of me.”</p><p>Everything seemed so much clearer than the last time he’d been here. Sharper. It had been so difficult to make anything out before, let alone remember afterwards. That wasn’t the case anymore. Why?</p><p>“Where... are we?”</p><p>His otter tilted his head at him. “You sure you didn’t have too much to drink? You know where we are.” It was true. It was a lie.</p><p>Flynn could feel himself unraveling. What was happening to his mind? He felt like he was about to start hyperventilating.</p><p>He thought he saw a shadow moving out the corner of his eye, but just as he was about to turn around, he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey... if you’re really feeling sick, we can leave no problem.” His voice was soft, and his thumb was rubbing soothing circles on Flynn’s skin.</p><p>Yeah... this was familiar. The easy affection between them. He never acted like this around anyone else, opting out of physical touch unless it was to hurt someone. But it was different when he was with Flynn. It was different but no one understood, no one wanted to understand.</p><p>Flynn carefully moved the hand away from his shoulder. “I’m fine. I just... I missed you, I guess.”</p><p>His otter smiled at him. “I missed you too, pal.” He clasped his hands together. “So, what’s been going on with you?” Flynn felt an elbow poking at his ribs. “Find someone special?”</p><p>Flynn felt his throat go dry. “Something like that.”</p><p>The silence stretched. Finally his otter raised his arms in mock offense. “Alright, don’t tell me shit if you don’t wanna. Fuck me, right?”</p><p>It stung, even though Flynn knew he was just being cheeky. No one could ever know him like he did.</p><p>“It’s not like t-“ He sighed. “I’m afraid I’m gonna fuck it up. There, happy?”</p><p>“Wasn’t so damn hard, was it?” He slapped Flynn’s back. “Hey, whatever happens with this guy, you’ll still have me.”</p><p>Flynn could hear the sound of running water. “That so.” It wasn’t a question.</p><p>“...Flynn?”</p><p>Flynn traced circles on the wooden counter with his sharp index fingernail. “I spent so much time dreaming about this day, you know? Thinking about what I would say to you. Those daydreams kept me sane, in a way.” He could feel water running up to his ankles. “But that’s all they were.”</p><p>It was a strange combination, the slowly rising water that was now covering their lower bodies and the one pouring out of his eyes. “Hey,” His voice was trembling. “Do you think we deserve to be happy? Any of us?”</p><p>The otter’s (not his not his not his) face was unreadable. “Of course.”</p><p>Flynn laughed bitterly. “Really?” The lights flickered, illuminating the room in an unnatural red glow that reminded Flynn of the desert sky. “Cause I learned something. It’s really fucking hard to make someone happy if they don’t want to be.”</p><p>“I thought holding onto the grief was the right thing to do. How couldn’t I? Anything else would be a betrayal. I loved him too much to allow myself to forget him.” Flynn was shaking. He’d begun full on sobbing at some point. “But he’s gone. He’s gone and I’m still here. And it may be selfish, but I don’t want to be miserable anymore.”</p><p>The man in front of Flynn looked at a loss for words. “Bro, I have no idea what you’re going on about. Who’s ‘he’?”</p><p>Flynn smashed his fists against the counter, cracking it and startling the otter. “Stop fucking playing dumb.” He snarled. “You can’t fool me by using his face, not anymore. I won’t let you.”</p><p>The seconds stretched as the room slowly flooded with lake water, the two of them looking at each other, Flynn gasping harshly with tears streaking his face and the otter not moving a muscle.</p><p>Finally, it smiled. Small at first, then stretching until it reached almost to his ears, almost a maw. <em><strong>”You understand this doesn’t change anything, yes?”</strong></em>. It was like a dozen different voices all at once. Male, female, infant, distorted and accompanied by the crackling of radio static. The thing’s eyes were drooping. In fact, its whole face was sagging as if it were melting. It reminded Flynn of this time he’d seen an old man get a stroke at the diner, his face had sagged like that.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>”As long as the Hands are on you, you will not escape in any meaningful way. The cycle cannot be broken.”</strong> </em>
</p><p>Flynn wanted to do something. Scream, mayble flee. He could do neither, as the water had quickly risen up to his chin and he had to close his mouth in order to avoid getting a lungful.</p><p>Before they were completely submerged, the thing addressed him again. <em><strong>”You’ll be back.”</strong></em></p><p>As it sank, Flynn stared sadly at the thing that had borrowed his friend’s face and voice. Then, because it felt right, he silently said goodbye for the last time.</p><p>He swam towards the surface.</p><hr/><p>Waking up in unfamiliar places not knowing how he got there had never been his idea of fun, and it just seemed to keep happening to him lately.</p><p>Well, that wasn’t quite right. He could remember his dream with vivid clarity. That was new, but not exactly comforting, considering what he’d dreamed about.</p><p>This whole night was such a shitshow.</p><p>He stood up with some difficulty, dusted himself off and tried to make sense of where he was. The moon was shining bright above him and allowed him to make out his immediate surroundings, which mostly consisted of a shitton of dirt and rocks, which meant wherever those fucking things had dragged him off to, he was probably still in Echo.</p><p>He hoped Leo was okay. The creatures hadn’t seemed interested in him for whatever reason. Still, he’d see firsthand what they were capable of. Flynn shook his head to dissipate the unpleasant thoughts he was quickly spiraling into. There was nothing he could do for him now, so he’d just have to pray he was still alive and safe.</p><p>Keeping his expectations low, pulled our his phone. Dead. Not surprising, considering he probably hadn’t charged the damn thing in 2 days. Even if he had, if this was a repeat 2 years ago, it wouldn’t help him.</p><p>As he took in the sound of the nocturnal fauna and the hissing of the wind, Flynn’s thoughts drifted. He thought about his conversation with Sydney.</p><p>No, that wasn’t right. At best it had been a conversation with himself, at worst... whatever the case, it wasn’t Sydney, he was sure of that.</p><p>Still, even though he definitely hadn’t forgotten about the entity’s ominous promise, it had been strangely cathartic. Saying all of that out loud (or in a dream, whatever) felt... not good, but necessary. Healing was usually painful, Leo was right about that.</p><p>He wiped his eyes, just now noticing they were moist. That part of the dream had been real too, then.</p><p>He was resolute now. He wouldn’t live in the past. It wasn’t fair to himself or the people around him.</p><p>The people he loved.</p><p>Not that it’ll matter if he doesn’t make it out of here. It didn’t look like help was coming, seeing how Leo was the only one who knew he was in Echo.</p><p>Wait. That wasn’t true. He called Jenna. She was heading here.</p><p>Shit. Fuck.</p><p>Would she even be able to make it here? The town had been insistent on keeping them all there last time, but he didn’t know if that worked for people coming in. He hoped that was the case. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to Jenna.</p><p>What if she didn’t come by herself?</p><p>He felt dizzy.</p><p>He felt a faint but insistent tug originating from behind him. He turned around.</p><p>The entrance to the mine. How had he missed it? There was a cloyingly sweet smell emanating from it, and Flynn felt himself being pulled towards it. Invisible caresses inviting him inside. <em>Come play, Flynn</em> they said.</p><p>He took a step forward.</p><p>Suddenly, he found himself tackled to the ground, knocking the air out of him. He felt his blood go cold, the creatures must have come back for round two. He did find it strange that they’d simply left him.</p><p>He easily freed himself from its grasp and rolled around so he could be on his back and try to get the damn thing off him.</p><p>Then he came face to face with him.</p><p>His otter.</p><p>“Flynn! F-Fuck.” He was out of breath and struggling to get the words out. “I’m... I’m so glad... you’re okay...” He said between heavy panting.</p><p>Chase straddled Flynn’s hips as he laid on top of him, both paws on either side of the gila’s head. Flynn could feel the heat radiating off his body and the faint vibration as he inhaled and exhaled. He could see Chase’s face perfectly under the moonlight.</p><p>Flynn thought it was the happiest he’d ever been.</p><p>It was also his worst nightmare come true.</p><p>“Why did you come here?” <em>How could you be so careless?</em></p><p>Chase stared at him as if he’d grown a second head. “Wh- We’ve been worried sick. Jenna said Leo called her, saying he found you passed out on the road. What the fuck, Flynn, we-“</p><p>“You need to leave. Now.” <em>Do you not remember what happened here?</em></p><p>Chase stared again. Angry, this time. “Seriously? What is your fucking problem?”</p><p>“No, shut the fuck up.” He snarled., curling his fists. “You tell me all that stuff about how I need to open up, and when I do just that, you ghost my ass. I could live with ‘sorry, no’, but no, you kick me out of your apartment and then stop talking to me.”</p><p>“Then no one hears from you for a whole day, until the bartender at that bar you go to tells us you got completely shitfaced and vanished into the night. Do you know how close we were to putting out a missing person report?”</p><p>Flynn unsuccessfully tried to sink into the ground. “Is that rhetorical or,”</p><p>“I thought you were-“ Chase sniffled. “Lost or badly hurt or...” He didn’t finish the sentence, as he started hiccuping, which turned into sobbing.</p><p>Flynn quickly sat up and wrapped his arms around him, feeling the tension slowly leave the otter’s body and finally going slack.</p><p>When they separated, Flynn cupped his cheeks in his hands. “You know I don’t believe in apologies.” He leaned forward and planted a kiss on Chase’s lips. “So this is all you get for now.”</p><p>The otter sat there, stunned, looking as if he’d just short circuited. Finally, he regained his composure. “I’m still mad.” Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “But... okay.”</p><p>Definitely the happiest he’s ever been.</p><p>Definitely still a nightmare.</p><p>“Look, I wasn’t kidding. You can’t be here, it’s... it’s happening again.”</p><p>Chase looked confused for a second before connecting the dots. “Are you sure?”</p><p>Flynn began recounting everything that had happened since the last time he’d seen Chase. He didn’t omit the encounter with Mitch, even though he kind of wanted to. But he felt that he owed it to Chase to be honest.</p><p>He told him about the dreams, the encounter with Leo, the creatures, the reunion with what he thought to be Sydney, the entity and its promise to never let him escape.</p><p>He did not tell him about <em><strong>him</strong></em></p><p>“It doesn’t make any sense...” Chase said, sitting across from Flynn.</p><p>Flynn sighed. “Tell me about it. I really thought we were home free. So much for that.”</p><p>“No, I mean, this feels... different. Everything was normal when me and Jenna arrived. Our phones worked and everything.”</p><p>That was... unexpected. “Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yeah. Leo was pretty shaken up when we got to his place but aside from that...”</p><p>Leo, shit, he’d forgotten to ask about him. So he was fine? That was a relief, but also confusing.</p><p>Then something occurred to him.</p><p>“Maybe it only wants me.”</p><p>“...It?”</p><p>“The town. It could have gotten Leo if it wanted, right? Could have trapped you all in here.” Flynn scratched his head in deep thought. “But it didn’t.”</p><p>Flynn didn’t like the expression Chase was giving him. “What are you trying to say?”</p><p>Flynn turned towards the opening of the mine, Chase’s gaze following his own. “It won’t end until it has me. Maybe I should give it what it wants.”</p><p>Chase stood up in a hurry, raising his voice. “You want to, what, be a sacrificial lamb?”</p><p>“When you put it like that...”</p><p>“No. You’re out of your mind. We have to go back, call the cops, the military, someone.”</p><p>“I believe it, you know?” Flynn said. “When it told me it wouldn’t let me escape. I didn’t escape two years ago.” Flynn offered him a sad smile. “I’m tired of running.”</p><p>Chase let his shoulders sag. “It feels like you’re saying goodbye.” He said weakly.</p><p>Flynn stood up as well, walking to Chase and cupping his cheeks in his hands. “I’m not. I have no intention of dying tonight. I’m gonna find a way to fix this.” He said, aware that the words were for Chase’s peace of mind as much as his own.</p><p>Chase looked up at him, the sadness replaced with determination. “I’m going with you.”</p><p>Flynn’s eyes widened. “What? Fuck no. Have you been listening? It’s just me it wants. You need to get to safety and wait for me.”</p><p>“If it’s just you it wants it shouldn’t be able to touch me, right? Just like with Leo.”</p><p>“You can’t know that for sure!”</p><p>“You don’t know the stunt you’re trying to pull is going to work either, but you’re doing it anyway.” Chase offered. “I know I can’t stop you from going in there. But I can make sure you’re not by yourself.” He said with finality.</p><p>Flynn grasped the otter’s shoulders, as if he were about to vanish right from under his nose. “Chase...”</p><p>Chase slowly raised his arms to hold Flynn’s hands in his own and showed him an uneasy smile. “I know you’re hiding something from me.”</p><p>Flynn sputtered. “Wh-“</p><p>“Maybe you forgot, but I know what it’s like to be that thing’s toy better than everyone.” Chase continued. “It’s okay. We can figure it out together. But you have to trust me.”</p><p>Trust me. Flynn should have laughed at how Chase had turned his own words against him.</p><p>This was complete fucking insanity. Flynn couldn’t believe he was even entertaining the idea.</p><p>And yet...</p><p>“...Fine.” He said.</p><p>He couldn’t do this on his own. He didn’t want to. Not anymore.</p><p>He trusted Chase. Chase trusted him. They were about to do something incredibly stupid, he knew that, but as long as those two facts remained true, he wanted to believe they’d be okay. He had to believe it. Otherwise, what was the point of any of this?</p><p>Chase took his hand, and together they made their way into the mine’s entrance, Flynn feeling the pull of it getting stronger at each step.</p><p>They stopped right outside and looked at each other, confirming they were still there, that they were still doing this. They took one last gulp of air, like divers right before sinking into the ocean depths.</p><p>They entered the darkness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It’s been a while! I think. I write very slowly, in case you hadn’t noticed.</p><p>I think I have 1 or 2 more chapters in me before I’m ready to wrap up this story. I’m excited to have gotten to this point considering that, again, it takes me 2 weeks to pump out 3k words. Anyway! Hope you enjoyed it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They’d been walking for 10 minutes now, close enough for their arms to brush, since the confined space of the mining tunnels didn’t leave them much of a choice. Not that Flynn was complaining, this just meant it’d be harder for Chase to leave his sight.</p><p>And, y’know. Being close to him was nice.</p><p>The flashlight of Chase’s phone was serviceable enough, but Flynn was seriously regretting not bringing a flashlight or something. Not enough to go back, though.</p><p>“You can still turn back, just saying.” He told Chase.</p><p>Chase glanced annoyedly at Flynn and shoved him playfully. “Nice try.”</p><p>Oh well.</p><p>They continued in silence. The air was damp and musty, as expected from an abandones cave, but it wasn’t as distracting as the sickly sweet stench that had been accompanying Flynn since they entered.</p><p>“Can you smell that?” He asked.</p><p>Chase looked at him quizzically before his eyes lit up in understanding. “Yeah... I couldn’t at first, but it’s been getting stronger.”</p><p>Flynn waved the air in front of his face. “It’s gonna make me gag.”</p><p>“Maybe there’s a sulfur deposit.” Chase offered.</p><p>“Ain’t sulfur the one that smells like farts?”</p><p>“You’d know, wouldn’t you.” It was Flynn’s turn to shove Chase, who stumbled a couple steps forward while giggling. Fucking asshole.</p><p>“What <em>did</em> they mine down here?” Flynn asked, trying to make small talk more than anything else.</p><p>Chase scratched his head. “Crystals? Something like that.” A pause. “We looked it up. Y’know, last time.”</p><p>Shit. Leave it to Flynn to ruin the mood by bringing up old shit. He wrapped an arm around the otter’s shoulders.</p><p>Chase cheered up immediately. “I’m okay, really.”</p><p>Flynn sighed. “If you say so.” He did not retract his arm.</p><p>Chase adopted a thoughtful expression as they continued their trek. “It feels like it was so long ago.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Some days, I’d forget it it happened at all.” Chase’s eyelids lowered by a fraction of an inch. “I think those were the days I was happiest.”</p><p>Flynn didn’t know how to respond. Not because he didn’t know what Chase was talking about, quite the opposite. But other than ‘Yeah, been there’, he was at a loss for words.</p><p>Chase seemingly noticed Flynn’s predicament and came to his rescue. “But... forgetting doesn’t help. Not really. I understand that now. All you’re doing is escaping.”</p><p>“Is that wrong?” Flynn countered. “If you go through life carrying your demons everywhere you go, can you really blame someone for wanting an escape?”</p><p>“I’m not saying that.”</p><p>“Well, what are you saying?”</p><p>Chase thought for a moment. “Hmm. I guess I’m saying there’s a difference between forgetting and moving on. The latter is harder, but it’s healthier in the long run.”</p><p>Flynn blinked. “Huh. You can be pretty eloquent sometimes.”</p><p>Chase guffawed. “Holy shit, is that your idea of a compliment?” Flynn grumbled in response.</p><p>“What, you thought I was going to be nicer to you just ‘cause you’re my boyfriend now? Dream on, muskshit.” Flynn couldn’t stop himself before the ‘b’ word left his mouth. If Chase noticed how quickly the gila’s scales turned pink, he didn’t mention it.</p><p>“Anyway,” He continued. “I’ve been thinking a lot these past few weeks. And... I guess that’s the conclusion I came to. That’s why I think I’ll be fine.” He turned his head to look at Flynn. “We’ll be fine.”</p><p>Flynn tightened his grip around Chase. “...Yeah. We’ll be fine.”</p><p>After a while, the series of tunnels they’d been crawling through expanded into a wider, circular room connecting to several other passages. It was filled with abandoned mining equipment and an assortment of furniture, likely an improvised living space for the miners that worked here decades ago.</p><p>“Do you remember what it was that happened here?” Flynn asked. He shook his head, feeling nauseous all of a sudden. The cloying smell was getting stronger.</p><p>“Some sort of accident. Again, not sure.” Chase responded. “Looks like <br/>they’d come here to rest.” He added thoughtfully, lifting a thankfully closed ancient can of beans from a wooden table. He carefully put it back where he found it and crouched under the table, emerging after a few seconds with a dusty oil lamp in his hands.</p><p>“No way that still works.” Flynn said.</p><p>“One way to find out.” Chase retrieved a lighter from his pocket and lit it up near the lamp’s nozzle. After sputtering a few times, the flame of the lamp came alive, covering the room with its orange glow.</p><p>Chase yelped and nearly dropped the lamp in shock.</p><p>It didn’t take Flynn long to see why. Littering the cave floor were dead, naked bodies. </p><p>“Who the fuck...” Flynn asked aloud. Then he corrected himself.</p><p>Not who, but what.</p><p>He slowly approached one of the bodies, despite Chase’s protests. It was emanciated and had no fur, and it was laid out in a fetal position, facing away from the two of them. He reached out a trembling hand and turned it around.</p><p>Three holes looked back at him. Blood, or somethin similar to it, gushing from each of them. Flynn couldn’t look at it for too long, as the sick smell from before assaulted him harder than ever.</p><p>“Shit!” He exclaimed. “Guess we know where the smell was coming from.”</p><p>Chase took a hesitant step towards Flynn, a look of concern in his face. “Is it...?”</p><p>“Dead?” Flynn finished his thought for him. He stood up from his crouched position and nudged it with his foot. When it didn’t react, he kicked it, hard, making Chase jump. “Looks like it.”</p><p>“Flynn!” Chase protested.</p><p>“It’s fine. If they were alive, we wouldn’t be speaking right now.” Flynn offered.</p><p>“What happened to them...?”</p><p>“I don’t know.” There were half a dozen bodies strewn across the room. Flynn couldn’t detect any external injuries in any of them or any signs of a struggle. It looked as if they’d just rolled over and died spontaneously. “But they’re not our problem anymore. That’s good, right?”</p><p>Chase breathed deeply, looking like he was recovering from a heart attack. “I don’t know about that...” He said. “At least we don’t have to worry about running out of battery now.” He punctuated, lifting the oil lamp.</p><p>From the corner of his eye, Flynn noticed something glinting in the darkness, reflecting the light from the lamp. It came from one of the passages. Flynn got closer to investigate.</p><p>Looking back at him were hundreds of reflections of himself lining the tunnel’s walls.</p><p>“Are those the... crystals or whatever?”</p><p>“The quartz.” Chase clarified. “Yeah, looks like it.”</p><p>They were completely covering the walls and ceiling of the narrow tunnel, which stretched into the darkness where the light couldn’t reach. Flynn reached out his hand, his curiosity getting the better of him. He tried to be careful, since the quartz looked sharp enough to cut. His fingertips tenderly brushed the surface of the quartz and</p><p>
  <strong>PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN</strong>
</p><p>Next thing he knew he was laid out on his ass, breathing heavily. He could distantly feel Chase by his side, tugging at him.</p><p>“-ynn! Flynn!!” He was saying (more like screaming, really) as he shook him roughly.</p><p>“I’m fine.” He lied.</p><p>“What the fuck was that?”</p><p>Flynn pushed himself off the floor and shook the dust off him. “Something bad.” He didn’t elaborate.</p><p>Flynn took a step forward. “We’re going that way.”</p><p>Chase grabbed his arm. “Wait, fuck! Why?”</p><p>“Can’t you feel it?” Flynn asked. He supposed it was entirely possible that he couldn’t. It was the worst despair he’d ever felt, injected into his veins when he’d come in contact with the quartz, and gone almost as soon as it arrived. That despair lingered faintly in the air around the quartz, like a miasma. Something that terrible couldn’t be natural.</p><p>Which is how he knew it was the right way.</p><p>He didn’t, couldn’t wait for Chase to see his point of view, he simply snatched the lamp from Chase’s hands and went on ahead hoping he’d follow.</p><p>As soon as he entered the tunnel, the earth shook all around him. Or shifted, more accurately. Flynn lost his footing and dropped to his knees almost immediately while fragments of the quartz dislodged from the ceiling and pelted his back.</p><p>He tried to turn around and go back, cursing himself for having such a stupid lapse of judgment. </p><p>The entrance was gone, solid rock now standing in his way. He could hear Chase yelling his name from the other side. Flynn got up and banged his fists against the rock, which was as effective as it sounded and achieved nothing except bruising his hands. Chase’s voice grew more distant by the second, until it sounded miles away, and was finally replaced with silence.</p><p>“No. Nononono.” Flynn closed his eyes in despair as his sore arms went limp and slowly slid off the wall. “Fuck!” He banged his fist against the wall one more time. He expected to simply hurt himself again by trying to beat the rock solid surface. </p><p>He didn’t expect the strangely soft surface that gave in under his blows, like a mattress filled with sand.</p><p>He opened his eyes, and his blood went cold.</p><p>The lamp laid discarded at his feet, illuminating the tunnel, which meant Flynn could see it all too clearly.</p><p>Flesh. </p><p>Above him. Under his feet. All around him, lining the walls. It was a sickly pale pink, and Flynn could have swore he could see it shifting, growing larger and then smaller at regular intervals, almost like it was breathing. Like a sad imitation of life.</p><p>Flynn doubled over, distantly surprised that his stomach still held enough to vomit, considering he couldn’t remember when he’d last eaten in the past two days. The smell of his own barf almost made him gag and repeat the process all over again, but he was able to keep his composure long enough to move away from his waste. Flynn was hit by that sickly sweet smell in full force, and he found himself almost missing the barf.</p><p>He saw them then, marching under the glow of the oil lamp. The shadows he’d seen in his dream, heads hung low, going deeper into the darkness.</p><p>Right. Nothing had changed. There was only one way to go.</p><p>Part of him was unsure he could do this without Chase by his side. Another part of him was relieved that this meant his otter was safe.</p><p>He steeled his resolve.</p><p>Flynn could hear wailing that somehow felt like it was coming right from inside his ear yet sounded faint enough be far away. The wailing got... louder wasn’t the right word. Stronger. It got stronger as he followed the shadows, indecipherable whispers eventually joining the cacophony. </p><p>It felt like days had passed. It definitely hadn’t been that long, but his sense for such things was shot to hell down here. But eventually, he found it.</p><p>The small tunnel opened up into a large area shaped like a vertical tube, stretching tall enough that Flynn couldn’t see the ceiling above or the floor below him. If he took two steps further, he would have fallen right in. Many more holes adorned the flesh-walls, which meant this wasn’t the only path that lead here.</p><p>Things like these shouldn’t surprise him anymore. He supposed it was good that they did, maybe it meant he hadn’t completely lost his mind. That he still clung to some semblance of sanity.</p><p>At the center of the room, connected to the walls by veins and arteries, stood a gargantuan, pulsating heart. </p><p>It looked... sick. When he was a kid, they’d wheeled a tv into their classroom and showed them an anti-smoking PSA, featuring close up images of a deceased cancer patient’s heart. It looked just like that. All gray colored flesh and yellow pus leaking out. The shadows poured out of the holes in the walls and floated and spiraled all around it. The wailing was strongest here.</p><p>Then everything stopped. The whispers were silenced, the shadows stilled in mid-air. Flynn couldn’t tell if he was still breathing. Clear as day, a voice whispered into his soul.</p><p><em><strong>”This is quite unexpected.”</strong></em> It said. It was the same voice he’d heard in the dream with Sydney, distorted as if coming from an old radio.</p><p>Flynn felt his resolve falter. He’d been naive to come here. He couldn’t beat whatever this was.</p><p>But he’d made it this far. At worst, maybe his initial hunch was right. Maybe it only wanted him.</p><p>Taking solace in that possibility, he responded. “You called me here, didn’t you? I thought you wanted this.” He only partially succeeded in getting his nerves under control so he could speak.</p><p>A grumbling noise came from deep within the heart, as if it were considering Flynn’s words. <em><strong>”Make no mistake, this was always the foregone conclusion. But your initiative took us by surprise.” </strong></em> A pause. <em><strong>”Yes, you’ve been most surprising, at every turn.”</strong></em> Flynn didn’t know how, but he could tell it was smiling.</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>”But it’s over now. If you came here, it must have been with the expectation that you wouldn’t come back out.”</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Flynn tightened his fists. “Fine. Eat me or whatever the fuck it is that you want to do to me. But I want somethinf first.”</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>”You are in no position to make demands.</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Flynn ignored it. “You’re going to leave my friends alone. And then you’re going to tell me what the fuck you are, why any of this had to happen.”</p><p>The heart grumbled again, stronger this time, shaking the walls around it. Lashing out in anger. Or maybe laughing. Flynn couldn’t tell.</p><p>Finally, it spoke again. <em><strong>”We have no obligation to fulfill these requests. But... we suppose there’s no harm in allowing you entertain us for a while longer. It truly has been such a long time...”</strong></em> Flynn didn’t know what that last part meant. <em><strong>”We will sate your curiosity.”</strong></em></p><p>“What about my friends?”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>Clearly this thing wasn’t going to dance to Flynn’s tune. He shouldn’t have expected any different. Might as well get his questions out of the way then.</p><p>“What are you?”</p><p>The heart rumbled for a long time as it considered Flynn’s question. Then it answered. <em><strong>”Tragedy bleeds into the ground and blossoms into a curse. A curse that spreads malice. That is the nature of the cycle you and your loved ones are bound to. That is who ‘we’ are. It is the reason you cannot escape. Something that was only possible due to the unique properties of this land.”</strong></em></p><p>Flynn thought for a second. “...The quartz?”</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>”Our flesh and bone, yes. Does that answer your question?</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Not really. But he moved on. “Why do this? Why torture us?”</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>”Did we not just answer that...? The quartz merely serves as a catalyst. We cannot exist without the presence of strong, negative human emotions. Our Hands and Eyes are the instruments of our will that allow us to fulfill this purpose.”</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>“The... creatures.”</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>”That is but one of the forms our Hands can take. We are not fond of using them unless we’re left with no choice. It is... taxing. If direct intervention is necessary, we have plenty of alternatives. Including... that sad display.”</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>Flynn took a step backwards without meaning to and stumbled on something, his hand shooting out and gripping the soft fleshy wall for support in order to avoid falling. A figure was laid out behind him. An adult feline, with white fur and old timey clothes, curled in on itself and facing away from him.</p><p>Flynn didn’t know this man. Not really. But he had become intimately acquainted with him over the past two years.</p><p>“What... Who is he?”</p><p><em><strong>”...Especially troubled souls have an even harder time escaping, even upon death. He’s just like you.”</strong></em>A pause. <em><strong>”Just like him.”</strong></em></p><p>Chase.</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>”As I said before, directly manipulating the course of events is difficult. Using such souls facilitates it, albeit with some... limitations. Few are eligible for the honor. Your friend’s weak will allowed us to-“</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>“Don’t fucking call him weak.”</p><p>Amusement.</p><p><em><strong>”Such a disappointment those two were. The one behind you’s abject failure caused us to lose a valuable vessel. Then, for two long years, we were unable to reclaim his replacement.</strong></em>A smile. <em><strong>”You’ve done well to come this far, prodigal son.”</strong></em></p><p>Flynn chuckled under his breath. The chuckle gradually grew louder until it became a boisterous laugh. He had no doubt that he would die down here. But that didn’t matter.</p><p>Because he understood now.</p><p>“You wanna talk about weak? Just fucking look at yourself.”</p><p>Puzzlement.</p><p>“You’ve been moving differently, especially since I got here. The fact that you only seem able to touch me.”</p><p>Confusion.</p><p>“I thought maybe you only wanted me. That’s why you didn’t even try to keep everyone else in here. But I know now.” He laughed bitterly. “Oh, I know now, fucker. It’s not that you only wanted me, it’s that you can’t get to anyone else.”</p><p>Worry.</p><p>“You’re fucking dying. You look like it, too. No one comes to this shithole anymore, so you ran out of food.”</p><p>Sorrow.</p><p>“Even getting me to come here nearly killed you. Ha! That explains the dead creatures outside.”</p><p>Anger.</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>”...Those who become tethered to this place are destined for misfortune. You’ve achieved nothing here. The conclusion will be the same.”</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>“Do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter anymore. This place is a ghost town. You know that, don’t you? You won’t be able to touch us anymore, and then you’ll die down here.”</p><p>Wrath.</p><p>“You’re fucking pathetic, and we beat you.”</p><p>The floor began shaking in earnest now. Flynn could feel the malice radiating off the heart, like waves of heat. He turned around and started sprinting back the way he came, noticing the white furred male he’d seen earlier had disappeared. He glanced behind him one last time, seeing that dozens of the wendigo creatures had jumped onto the heart.</p><p>...Attacking it?</p><p>He couldn’t stay behind to confirm his suspicions. He kept running as the tunnel collapsed in on itself.</p><p>The wailing had turned into full blown screaming. Was it the heart, or the people trapped down here? Was there a difference at this point? He didn’t think there was anything he could do for them now. He wished there was.</p><p>He reached the entrance of the quartz deposit, where he’d last seen Chase. A foolish part of him expected the wall to be gone. The more cynical side expected a dead end, where he’d sit and wait patiently for his demise.</p><p>He didn’t expect to see a door, with the burly feline standing besides it.</p><p>This is it, he thought. He’s not gonna let me leave.</p><p>Instead, he turned the handle and opened the door for him, not saying anything but making his intent clear. It had to be a trap, but Flynn supposed he didn’t have a choice. </p><p>Before crossing the door, Flynn addressed the feline. “Aren’t you coming?”</p><p>But he didn’t respond.</p><p>
  <em>Destined for misfortune.</em>
</p><p>He stepped inside. </p><p>It was like being underwater. He drifted for what felt like hours, enveloped in darkness. And cold. So cold.</p><p>Maybe it really had been a trap. </p><p>A light shone in the distance. Flynn willed himself to drift towards it, to get closer to that comforting warmth. </p><p>A voice beckoned him. </p><p>He was so close now. Just a little farther and he’d be able to touch it. </p><p>He reached out his hand and grasped it.</p><p>A soft hand was closed around his. Flynn could feel water dripping onto his face. He opened his eyes and saw his otter hovering above him, body wracking with sobs. That hadn’t been water.</p><p>Flynn raised his hand to caress Chase’s face, willing himself to believe this wasn’t a dream or a trick. As soon as he touched the otter’s face, his face morphed from grief, to surprise to unfiltered joy. Chase gripped his hand tighter, unwilling to let go. </p><p>“Welcome back.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hoo. This one was hard to write and im not crazy about some parts of it but the climax to this story is done! I’m gonna do a short epilogue chapter to wrap the whole thing up and then it’s over!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ending it on a lighter note with a bunch of self indulgent fluff :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>6 Months Later...</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Flynn typed away at the excel sheet he’d been putting together for the past couple hours, letting out an exasperated exhale as he acknowledged that he was nowhere close to being done.</p><p>Admitting defeat with 15 minutes left of his shift, he leaned back against his seat, briefly closing his eyes and letting his mind wander. This had become a habit of his, the spontaneous micro-naps. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately, his nights plagued by nightmares.</p><p>It had almost been easier before, back when he couldn’t recall most of his dreams. Having the passenger that had been living in his head suddenly get off had been a little traumatizing, to say the least, so it wasn’t that surprising.</p><p>He had no place to complain, really. He’d gladly take the nightmares if it meant he could be sure his thoughts were his own. This was nothing.</p><p>But sleeping would be nice. Forgetting would be nice.</p><p>He didn’t know what he’d do without Chase. His otter had readily agreed to move out of the campus apartment and into Flynn’s place, giving him some lame excuse about how Carl snored too loudly to try to spare Flynn’s pride over the fact that he couldn’t sleep alone anymore.</p><p>Chase understood all too well. Probably better than Flynn, since he’d lived with it for much longer. Flynn was just a little bit indignant and more than a little bit angry that a fucking possession was something for him and his boyfriend to bond over, but hey, it could have been worse.</p><p>It could have been much, much fucking worse.</p><p>A loud clap exploded right next to Flynn’s ear, snapping him out of his reverie and making him jump.</p><p>“You don’t get paid to laze around.” Jenna said, carrying a stack of papers half as tall as her.</p><p>“I barely get paid...” Flynn grumbled under his breath.</p><p>“That’s the price of working for a good cause.” She pointed out mercilessly. “Now be a good martyr and take these forms so you can file them away tomorrow.” She unceremoniously dropped the documents right in front of him, shaking the desk.</p><p>After Flynn had decided that he could not, in fact, work with a sexual harasser as his boss, Jenna had been gracious enough (her words) to point him towards this desk job at the nonprofit she occasionally helps out at. It was just as mind numbing as his old job and paid way worse, but, y’know, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about his coworkers fondling him, seeing how about 80% of the rotating volunteers he worked with were queer teenagers. Some of them were actually pretty cool to talk to, even though interacting with teens these days mostly reminded him that soon he’d be as old as his father when he’d had him.</p><p>Flynn looked at the stack of papers with disdain and rubbed his temples. “What is the goddamn point of all these computers if we’re still working like its the 80s.”</p><p>“This place has been around for about that long, I think.” Jenna said. “I’ve been trying to push them to digital, but it’s a slow process.”</p><p>“Hurry it up, then.”</p><p>“So sweet.” Flynn batted her hand away before she could pinch his cheek. “Wanna meet up for drinks later?”</p><p>“Busy.” It was true. He didn’t tell her about how he’d been afraid to go to the bar ever since.</p><p>She picked up on it anyway. “Really? Cause there’s this new place downtown and I’ve been dying to-“</p><p>“Jenna it’s- Fuck. I really am busy.” She meant well, he’d probably take her up on her offer some other time, but right now he didn’t feel like being treated like some fragile thing.</p><p>Jenna tried to hide her disappointment. “Well... we’ll keep in touch.” She quickly recovered and brushed her well groomed mane with her hand. “Have fun with... whatever it is you’re doing.”</p><p>“...Sure.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The other reason he’d rejected Jenna’s offer was that walking alone late at night had become incredibly stressful. He’d go straight home after work every day, if he could help it. The knowledge that the creeping shadows he saw when it got dark where all in his mind didn’t help.</p><p>After all, back then it had been all in his mind, too.</p><p>Part of it, anyway. He didn’t think he’d ever know how much of what he’d seen that night was real. The town’s influence was undeniable, but he couldn’t gauge the extent of what it could do. What ‘it’ was.</p><p>The police had, predictably, been completely fucking useless. When Jenna and Leo picked them up (What an awkward fucking car ride that had been, by the way. Flynn, his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s ex-jealous-ex crammed into the backseat) and driven them to the nearest police station, they’s refused to investigate the mine and got really close to locking them up for the night over some bogus ‘trespassing’ claims. Jenna had been the one to save them from that one, knowing enough about the law to call that sheriff our for being all bark. Between him and Leo’s 6ft.+ asses, the tiny vixen was the scariest of them, go figure.</p><p>Sometimes, he wondered if incompetence really was the reason they wouldn’t go near the mine, or if there was another, more insidious reason.</p><p>He didn’t like to think about it. So he didn’t. They were safe, nothing else mattered.</p><p>Flynn got to his apartment’s front door, like he’d done countless times. He inserted his key into the lock and twisted, bracing himself for whatever was on the other side.</p><p>He pushed himself in, and was blasted by the stink of weed.</p><p>Chase and Carl were sitting next to each other on his couch, in front of a game console that definitely wasn’t his hooked up to a TV that he’d also never seen before.</p><p>“What the fuck.” Flynn asked. More of a statement, really.</p><p>“Heeey, Flynn!” Carl got up from his seat and held Flynn in a crushing embrace, making the gila hiss.</p><p>“FUCK. OFF.” He pushed the ram away from him, who stumbled backwards. Chase helped him regain his footing before he could fall.</p><p>“Carl said he was around, so he came upstairs to hang out.” Chase offered as an explanation, peeking from behind Carl’s torso.</p><p>“‘Around’” Flynn repeated mockingly. “Alright. What the shit are those.” He pointed at the unfamiliar electronics.</p><p>“They’re, uh... gifts!” He said excitedly.</p><p>Flynn tapped his foot, trying to prompt a better explanation.</p><p>Carl threw his hands up in annoyance. “Ugh. Fine. It sucks not having Chase around, and I know he’d rather spend time with his boyfriend, so I figured I’d start coming over instead.” He wrapped his arms around Chase this time. “I missed my homie, sue me.”</p><p>Chase, devil take him, looked like he was enjoying this.</p><p>“Is the weed a ‘gift’ too?”</p><p>“Um. Only if you want it.”</p><p>“Carl...” Flynn pinched the bridge of his nose. “You need to leave. I had plans for tonight.”</p><p>“You do?” Chase piped up, still looking obnoxiously comfortable in Carl’s bearhug.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“You didn’t tell me.”</p><p>“N-no.”</p><p>Chase tilted his head quizzically.</p><p>Flynn managed to get out a hurried “twassupposedt’beasurprise.” before turning his head in embarrassment.</p><p>“Oh. Ooooooh.” Chase freed himself from Carl’s grasp, who looked just slightly hurt. “Can we finish this round though? It shouldn’t be more than 10 minutes.”</p><p>“Oh! Flynn, you should play.” Carl offered.</p><p>“I-“ Uncertainly, he looked back and forth between Carl and Chase, who were all but pleading to him.</p><p>You know what. Fuck it. It really had been a while since Flynn had last hung out with Carl. “Fine... 10 minutes.” He conceded.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It took 3 hours for Carl to finally leave. Flynn wished he could blame him, but he’d ended up becoming interested in their little game and losing track of time as well. He said farewell to Carl, promising him he could come again (For his sake, obviously. Definitely not Flynn’s.) so long as he gave them an earlier notice and agreed to keep the fucking weed out.</p><p>“I know your nose is fucked up enough that you can’t smell it anymore, but the rest of us aren’t so lucky.”</p><p>“Just edibles next time, got it.” Flynn gave him an unimpressed glare. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Thanks for letting me hang. Sorry I ruined your gay little party or whatever.” He smirked.</p><p>“Out.”</p><p>Carl dodged the smack to the back of the head with surprising swiftness and sauntered down the hallway, waving cheerfully.</p><p>Flynn walked back into the room to find Chase sitting on the bed with his legs crossed.</p><p>“Carl is nice.” He said.</p><p>“Sure.” Flynn responded in agreement.</p><p>“He didn’t even call you out for sucking.”</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“I know it’s not your fault. You probably haven’t owned a console since computers were the size of a room.”</p><p>Going for Flynn’s age? That’s low. “You think you’re just fucking hilarious, don’t you.”</p><p>“Eh, I have my moments.” Chase let himself backwards into the bed, placidly closing his eyes. “Come over. I wanna see my surprise.” He smirked conspiratorially.</p><p>“God, get your head out the gutter. Jerk off or something while I get to work.” Flynn turned around and headed towards the stove, more than a little amused at Chase’s flabbergasted expression.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Chase lifted a forkful of the buttery chicken alfredo, and hummed in approval as he chewed it.</p><p>“Nevermind, this might be better than the sex.”</p><p>Flynn beamed at the approval. “You should know better than to doubt my cooking.”</p><p>“Oh, I know.” He said between mouthfuls of pasta. “Your cooking is almost as good as Leo’s.”</p><p>Flynn bristled a little at the wolf’s mention. “Oh?” He said, stupidly taking the bait.</p><p>“The salad and stuff is nice, I guess. I just miss his well-seasoned meat sometimes is all.” Chase showed him a knowing grin.</p><p>Flynn took a bite out of his own plate. “Please. What would your little instant noodles loving ass know about seasoning? You’re still banned from the kitchen, by the way.”</p><p>“That was <em>one</em> time.” He’d put a cup of instant noodles in the microwave, but forgot to add water. The apartment still smelled like charcoal, one time was enough.</p><p>This was nice, Flynn thought. He wondered if people would see him talking to his boyfriend like that and viceversa and be scandalized. Flynn loved it. Being able to throw barbs at each other without getting upset because they trusted the other not to go too far.</p><p>“How... How is he, by the way? Leo, I mean.” Chase said thoughtfully.</p><p>Chase knew he and Flynn kept in touch. This was the first time he’d directly asked about him though.</p><p>“He’s fine, I guess. It’s not that hard to find a job as a mechanic when you live in a big city instead of in the middle of nowhere. Kudzu is helping him settle.”</p><p>“Hmm.”</p><p>“Why? You wanna see him?”</p><p>“I... I think it’s still too soon. Is that okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, no worries.” Leo felt the same way, or at least that’s what he’d told Flynn the one and only time he’d asked. He hoped they could reconcile someday but... well, it wasn’t his place.</p><p>“Hey,” Chase changed the subject. “The pasta was good but... this is not what I was expecting when you said you had a surprise for me.”</p><p>“What, I’m not allowed to be romantic?”</p><p>“Oh, it’s very romantic when you fuck me against the wall.” Good lord Chase was hornier than usual tonight. Could otters go into heat?</p><p>Not that Flynn minded, which is he decided to stoke that particular fire. “And I intend to do just that, princess. Now finish your pasta.”</p><p>“Ugh, never call me princess again.” Chase said, but he couldn’t hide his blush.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Chase laid on top of Flynn, exhausted from their last round, cum drying on his chest and between his cheeks. Flynn absentmindedly rubbed up and down Chase’s spine and peppered the top of his head with kisses, enjoying the occasional twitch and stir from the otter as he was hit with aftershocks.</p><p>Too tired from the sex and the heavy dinner, they’d decided to go to bed without showering. Or rather, Chase had decided and Flynn had reluctantly agreed even though he’d probably have to throw the whole mattress away to get rid of the smell of sweat and semen.</p><p>Chase rubbed his face against Flynn’s chest with a stupid fucking grin on his face. “‘m happy.” He slurred, practically purring.</p><p>Flynn chuckled and lovingly pet the otter’s head. Shit, maybe he really was in heat. “Had a little too much wine, bud?”</p><p>Chase adjusted himself so he could wrap his arms around the gila’s neck. “Never. Never too much wine.”</p><p>“Uh-huh.”</p><p>“Ass.” Chase said, too tipsy and fucked out to add any bite to his words. “I am though. Happy. I’m happy you put up with me even though you could do so much better. You’re the most amazing guy I know.” Chase had truly had too much to drink and completely lost his filter, it seemed.</p><p>Flynn didn’t like it when Chase started talking about himself like this. “Hey, you’re not so bad.” He offered.</p><p>“Hmm. Tell me more.”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Tell me what you like about me.” He said with a glint in his eyes.</p><p>“Fishing for compliments? From me?”</p><p>Chase nodded sleepily.</p><p>“Alright. Fuck, uh. It’s hard when you ask me out of the blue like that. You’re really hot, obviously. I mean, maybe it’s not obvious. You’re definitely my type though. Just the right size and really cute. Uh.”</p><p>“You’re also really smart. And funny. I feel like I put people off because my brain and sense of humor are broken and they think I’m trying to be mean or whatever but you know how to take it and dish it back out.”</p><p>“You’re... brave. Anyone would lose their goddamn mind if they went through what you did. What we did, I guess. Have I ever told you how instrumental you are to making sure I don’t go insane? Being there, listening, giving me advice? I mean, I’m sure you know, ‘cause you like to help, so you’d do it even if I wasn’t your insanely hot boyfriend who fucks you until you can’t walk right.”</p><p>“I’m... rambling, aren’t I? I hope you know I’m only telling you all this sappy shit because I’m sure you won’t remember come morning.” He looked down and allowed himself a fond smile as he saw Chase, snoring peacefully on his chest, finally out for the count.</p><p>He knows the nightmares will be back as soon as he closes his eyes. They won’t be going away anytime soon. But as long as he has this, people he loves and who love him back, he thinks he’s going to be fine.</p><p>We’re gonna be fine.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well it’s over.</p><p>Thank you to everyone who read and left kudos! This was really fun and I feel like I learned a lot about writing</p><p>Thank you to the Echo team for creating something that effortlessly lived rent free in my head for several months. Every day I simultaneously long for and dread the final Jenna update and the upcoming sequel.</p><p>Hope you enjoyed!</p>
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